Forks
by Galadriell
Summary: Dark Magic manifests itself in the small town of Forks.  Head Auror Harry Potter investigates with his team.  Their objective - protect the Cullens. Harry/Edward slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I am not J.K. Rowling. This story is merely my way of saluting her. I do not own any of these characters; I just manipulate their thoughts. And I'm not Stephenie Meyer either. I'm just borrowing her minions to do my bidding.

**A/N:** So many of you were utterly disappointed after I changed _It's Magic_ from Harry/Edward to Harry/Jacob. Here's to you.

-x-

Harry Potter arrived in the heart of the forest in the middle of the night. His robe bellowed in the humid wind and the rain fell silently on it. The deep black was dotted by streams of moonlight that fell through the leaves of the tall trees. The forest was eerily silent as the creatures hid away from the strong magic that swept it. Harry held up his wand, silently lighting it. The white light that emitted from the end of his wand bathed the green foliage, turning it into an unnatural blue hue. Harry roved his eyes around him, assessing his surroundings. His thick black hair fell sloppily around his face and was being swept to one side by the breeze. His face was shadowed, but his eyes glowed in the wand light. His inspection yielded nothing threatening, so he extinguished his wand and held it to his temple. Soft pops sounded in the forest around him.

"All clear," Harry murmured.

"Which way?" Ernie McMillan asked gruffly.

Harry placed the wand on the palm of his long slender hand. "_Point me_," he said softly. The wand whipped around and pointed south. "There," Harry said, using his other hand to gesture towards his right. He pulled up the hood on his robe and hastily strode through the thick foliage. The six wizards followed him as inaudibly as they could, treading on the plants with a light step. They moved swiftly, easily sidestepping the thin trunks and saplings. They traveled in silence for over ten minutes, covering ground quickly while scanning the surroundings for immediate danger. Harry led the group, followed by Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. Behind them walked Ernie McMillan, Theo Nott, Luna Lovegood, and Roger Davies in a single file, occasionally lighting their wands to rapidly survey the forest.

"Almost there," Hermione murmured, looking at the enchanted parchment in her hand. It showed meticulous data and a rudimentary map of the forest they were in. Draco looked over her shoulder, nodding in agreement. "Two minutes," he added.

Harry noticed the number of trees thinning as they quickened their pace. "I feel them," Harry informed. He held his wand steady and started sprinting, his Auror team keeping up with him easily. The thin branches slapped against their cloaks and hoods as they ducked the trees and jumped over logs. Harry saw light peeking out of the trees and his breath was already condensing around him. "They're here," he shouted, pushing away the plants and stumbling out of the forest. He ran into the clearing, where the trees stopped abruptly to make way for a large, lighted bungalow.

The sight in front of Harry made him stagger to a halt, his eyes wide. A group of seven was standing on the front lawn, their backs turned to each other and forming a tight circle. Their teeth were bared menacingly, but that didn't mar the beauty they exuded. The seven had marble, statuesque faces, with shaped structure and flawlessly pale skin. Their eyes were a marvel in itself, completely opaque and black as night but with flickers of gold sparking through them. They moved as one, their steps quick and their movements flowing. Their stance was crouched, their backs arched upwards threateningly. They were staring up at the sky, watching the cloud of Dementors circling them overheard.

Theo and Luna yelped when they saw the Dementors switched directions in a split second and rushed towards the seven crouched people. Harry found his voice, as did his team.

"_Expecto Patronum_," they shouted clearly, their voices ringing against the wall of trees. The seven pale statues turned as one, their expressions unchanging. The atmosphere was soon filled with magic as Patronus after Patronus flew out of the wands of the Aurors, forming a shield around them and the crouched group on the grass. The shield was pale blue and it domed over the wizards and the pale figures, capturing them in a safe hemisphere. The Dementors washed over the shield, thirty strong, trying to find a small crack in the shimmering globe. The floating animals charged towards the Dementor cloud, swooping at the villains with ease. The Dementors screeched fiercely, feeling the magic push against them, driving them back. Harry strengthened his charm, splitting his Patronus into three. The stags galloped elegantly into the air, chopping through the group of Dementors. The grassy grounds were lit with pale blue light as the Patronuses enveloped it. The Auror team poured in their immense reserve of magic into their wands, strengthening the shield layer by layer. Within seconds, the last of the Dementors gave up trying to force its way through, screaming one last time before taking off into the night sky.

The Aurors slowly extinguished their charms, their eyes flicking through the skies for any more danger that could be arriving. Harry glanced back at the seven devastatingly handsome – creatures. He titled his head questioningly, trying to categorize the men and women he was seeing in front of him. They were still holding their defensive positions, but were now forming a line with their backs against the house. Their gaze never wavered and they appeared frozen in time. The two groups were a scarce twenty feet apart. The Aurors didn't deign to put away their wands, feeling the hostility emitting from the seven stone sculptures. Harry looked at Hermione out of the corner of his eye and saw her seeming as confused as he. He cleared his throat.

"Hello," he said softly. They did not answer.

"We should just obliviate them and get out of here," Roger muttered. Harry was slightly startled when he saw the seven figures shifting at the comment.

"They can hear us," Luna muttered even lower. Harry noticed a glint passing through the black eyes – recognition. He nodded in agreement to Luna.

"We can't leave. They could come back with more," Draco said.

Harry contemplated the situation silently. He wanted to know more about these unusual people in front of him, but that wasn't part of his job description. All he had to do was protect and disappear. Like nothing ever happened. His team was merely a mirage, a dream…

"Who are you?" Harry blinked at the voice, feeling himself wanting to move closer. He steeled himself, raising his wand defensively. He shrugged off the effect of the hypnotic voice, looking at the medium built blond man who'd uttered the words.

"Nobody," Harry answered. He signaled to his team. As one they raised their wands.

"_Obliviate_," they chanted.

The seven figures blurred for a moment, then disappeared before the Aurors' eyes. "What -?" Harry started to say before he felt himself flying through the air with such a force that he was winded. He landed on his back, skittering along the grass.

"_Petrificus,_" he yelled, waving his wand blindly in front of him. He was greeted with a hard thud as the petite fairy-like woman fell beside him, stunned. Harry scrambled up to his feet, rapidly healing his splintered ribs and overextended back. He saw Hermione being cornered by the hulking mass of stone and a heavenly angel. He shot quick Impedimentas at them, letting Hermione stun them after. He ran towards Draco and Theo who were shooting spells hastily at the dodging creatures. Harry saw the lean, bronze haired man taking on Roger's random Flagrate spells with ease, sidestepping and leaping with grace and strength. He launched himself at Roger with unnatural speed and the two tumbled down the small embankment. Harry aimed a Relashio at the young man, detaching him from Roger. Roger quickly stunned the fallen man, wincing at his broken legs. Harry then turned to the last members of his team – Luna and Ernie. They weren't as lucky as the rest of the Aurors. The two were on their knees, in pain at being knocked around by the stone bodies that were descending upon them.

"_Immobulus_," Harry cried, sprinting to the kneeling members of his team. Hermione and Draco followed close by, stunning the remaining creatures. Harry raced to Luna and Ernie as the final two fell to the ground, immobilized.

"You guys alright?" he asked, panting. He quickly assessed their wounds. They were all internal and Harry healed it rapidly with the help of Hermione and Draco. Luna and Ernie breathed heavily, nodding as the pain deflated, leaving them alert. Harry looked around at the strewn bodies.

"What are these?" he marveled, leaning into the body of the soft, blond woman with sweetly curled lips. He stared at her beauty with fascination. Never had he seen such flawless features, or such symmetrical bodies. He flicked his eyes to the relaxed face of the man beside her, the man who had spoken. Harry felt the attraction towards him too, and he was perturbed by it. "There's something about them," Harry said, trailing off thoughtfully.

"Yes. They are so gorgeous," Luna replied, gently touching the frozen face of the man with wild honey blond hair and curiously drawn lips. "They're cold!" she yelped, pulling back her hands in alarm. "Are they –"

"No," Hermione said incredulously, reaching down and placing her hand over the impish girl's face. She was feeling for the slight movement of air. She felt none. "They can't be," she said with slight dread, searching for any signs of movement. She looked up in alarm when she found none, grabbing Harry's attention. Draco ran up to Hermione, crouching down beside her.

"We didn't _kill_ them!" Draco exclaimed, searching the neck of the petite woman for a pulse. He glanced at Hermione is amazement when he found none. He looked at Harry, frowning with worry. "We didn't, did we?"

Harry stared down the fallen statues in front of him – the sweet woman and the relaxed man. "Only one way to find out," he murmured.

"_Rennervate_," he chanted softly. The couple woke up, their irises flashing black and then slowly dissolving to gold. They picked themselves up carefully, their faces calm. Their lips were fluttering at rapid speeds and Harry realized that they were talking to each other. He held his wand steady as the two turned their eyes at him slowly. His team was flanking him closely, their wands at the ready.

"No, we aren't dead," the blond woman said melodically. Harry jerked his hand upwards as a reaction.

"You heard?" he asked, his mind confused. When someone was stunned, his or her mind was stunned as well. This didn't seem to be the case for the creatures.

"Yes," the man said simply. "Why did you attack us?"

Harry felt his mask of calmness slip at the question. "_You_ attacked _us_," Theo replied morosely.

"No, you did," the man insisted.

"We weren't attacking you. We were – we were wiping your memory," Harry responded, unsure of why he told the truth to the strange man and woman.

"Why?" the woman asked, her eyes lit with warmth and curiosity. Harry struggled to get over the effect the woman was having on him.

"That's what we do. We protect and disappear," Harry said, chanting the team motto.

"Protect… Thank you," the pale man said, flashing a slow smile at Harry. "You were protecting us."

"We – I – yes," Harry stammered, thrown off by the man's graciousness.

"But I don't think you were successful in making us forget," the man continued, his eyebrows pulled up slightly.

"Oh…" Hermione said unconsciously. She stared at her wand thoughtfully. "Mind if I try?" she asked hesitantly. Harry shot her a fierce glare, which she ignored dutifully. The couple glanced at each other for a split second, their lips blurring. They nodded imperceptibly after their short, silent conversation.

"_Obliviate_," Hermione said, pointing her wand directly at the tall couple. Harry waited with bated breath and let it out dejectedly when the two shook their heads apologetically.

"What are you?" he asked, tensed for their response.

"Who are _you_?" the man countered, folding his arms in front of his chest defensively.

Harry tilted his head thoughtfully, considering the man's question and his posture. He mimicked it, folding his arms around himself. "If we wake them up, will they attack?" he asked, gesturing at the fallen.

"Yes," the woman answered truthfully. "They can be stubborn and quite protective of each other… and us."

"You are – related?" Roger asked, running his eyes over the frozen bodies. All had the same pale faces with uncharacteristically perfect faces, yet distinct hair and physical features. They looked related, but not by blood.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," the man answered, looking at the five bodies sadly.

"If we promise not to attack, do you think you could stop them from attacking us?" Harry asked. Draco stepped down on Harry's foot, causing him to hold back a yelp. Harry turned to glare at Draco and was on the receiving end of the death stare as well. The look was clear. _We are not waking them up_. Harry disregarded Draco's mutinous look, turning back to the couple. The two looked doubtful but nodded.

"What are your names? That's no secret, is it?" Hermione asked.

The two smiled spontaneously, exuding – compassion? Harry stiffened at the emotion, unsure of where that had come from. "No, no secret. I'm Carlisle and this is my wife, Esme," the man said, wrapping his arm around his wife's hips lovingly.

"And these," Harry waved at the bodies again. "Your siblings?"

"Our children," Esme said. This time Harry couldn't stop his face from showing surprise. The two people in front of them looked no older than thirty. Their 'children' looked to be between the ages of twenty and thirty themselves. Carlisle sensed Harry's confusion.

"No, not by birth. Fostered," Carlisle added. It still didn't make any sense in Harry's head, but he let it go for the moment. He raised his eyebrows derisively as he turned to face his team. Draco, Theo and Roger were glaring at him. The rest shrugged uncertainly, trusting Harry's judgment.

Harry looked back at Carlisle and Esme. "Okay, we promise not to attack. I assume they heard me. I'm going to revive them," he said. The couple nodded, moving their lips rapidly as they talked to their children.

Harry took a deep steady breath, raising his wand. "_Renervate_," he chanted, gently swiping his wand across the lawn. The marble men and women were on their feet in an instant, glaring at the Aurors murderously. But true to their word, none of them attacked.

"What were those horrible creatures?" Esme asked, catching Harry's attention with ease.

"Dementors," Harry answered impulsively. "They – er… They devour all hope and happiness, leaving sorrow in their wake. Just – a really bad creature to cross," he finished.

"We didn't cross them," Carlisle said, his eyes narrowing with displeasure.

"Right… Well, someone set them on you and I'd bet ten Galleons that they'll be back with more," Theo said, snorting cynically.

"What can we do?" Esme asked, looking at her children with worry in her eyes. The five children hadn't moved from their original spots.

"Nothing you can do. We'll do whatever we can," Harry said.

The lawn fell silent as the groups were caught up in each other's thoughts. Harry was trying to plan out his next course of action.

"Would you like to come in?" Carlisle asked politely, gesturing at the house. Harry faltered at the question.

"Yes," Luna answered dreamily, staring at the open, brightly lit bungalow. "It looks marvelous," she added.

Esme smiled graciously. "Thank you," she said, beckoning the Aurors to follow her. Harry stumbled along, stunned at the sudden turn of events. Less than ten minutes ago, he'd been fiercely crushed by the small pixie and now he was walking into her house without a second thought. He glanced down at the small woman, frowning at her. She whipped back her dainty head to glower at him. His eyes widened when she decided that it was a good idea to stick her tongue out at him. He bumped into Ernie as he stared in amazement at the young woman and her tongue. Hermione bit back her laughter at the display. Harry had to use all his strength to refrain from imitating the pale woman in retort.

"Welcome to our humble abode," Carlisle said, opening the front door with flourish.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I am not J.K. Rowling. This story is merely my way of saluting her. I do not own any of these characters; I just manipulate their thoughts. And I'm not Stephenie Meyer either. I'm just borrowing her minions to do my bidding.

-x-

The Aurors stared up at the large vaulted ceiling and sparkling chandelier with an impressed eye. The door led into a foyer that opened up to the living room on the right and the dining room on the left. Straight ahead was a glass staircase that wound around a mahogany pillar. The walls were stark white with splashes of browns accenting the beams and floorboards. Quaint photos dotted the walls randomly and eclectic decorative fixtures were placed strategically around the main lobby to give an air of hospitality.

"Oh, it's even more magnificent inside!" Luna exclaimed, examining the room with a critical, artistic eye.

"Years of collection," Esme smiled. She led the large group into the airy living room, which contained a black grand piano on one end and black leather couches on the other. Bookshelves lined the walls and Harry eyed the library critically. Most of the books were medically relevant and antiquated. He noticed period tomes and encyclopedias that dated back a hundred years. The floor-to-ceiling shelves were immaculate and organized. Harry finished his inspection and turned back to Carlisle and Esme, noticing their 'children' shift around them uncomfortably.

"I agree. Quite marvelous," he mused, looking at the century old seaside paintings behind the piano and atop the grey marble fireplace. The house had a unique atmosphere of old and new, modesty and wealth, real and magic.

"Where are you from?" Carlisle asked. He motioned at the couches, nodding at the Aurors expectantly. They hesitantly took a seat and the seven beautiful individuals did the same, perching stiffly on the assortment of chairs and sofas.

"England," Hermione answered.

Carlisle smiled. "I gathered as much. I am as well. Where in England, is what I had meant to ask."

"London."

"And your names?"

Hermione looked at Harry with indecision. Harry's mind was already occupied with countless questions, so he didn't deign to respond to Hermione. She raised her eyebrows at Luna, who shrugged at her nonchalantly. Esme noticed the exchanges and laughed quietly.

"Shall we start with our names, then?" She didn't wait for a response. "I'm Esme Cullen, and this is my husband Carlisle Cullen." She gestured towards the heavily muscled man and the angelic blond, "Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale." She glanced back at the honey-haired man and the petite pixie, "Jasper Whitlock and Alice Whitlock." She smiled fondly at the last man, the god-like statue with bronze, mussed hair and an unusually attractive style, "And last but never least, Edward Cullen."

"Draco, Hermione, Luna, Roger, Harry, Ernie, and Theo," Draco rattled off.

"Unusual names," Carlisle said, smiling with his perfect teeth.

"Unusual people too," Esme added. "Would you care to hear our guess?"

Harry stiffened at the question. He'd never had such conversations with the people he saved. He never had _any_ conversations with the people he saved. And now, to hear theories about what he was… Unusual indeed. He nodded nonetheless.

"Those were wands, weren't they? We'd first presumed that you were magicians, but the type of magic you do – it's so earthy, so rich. Would we be correct if we said witchcraft?"

Hermione made a noise of disappointment. Not because they'd guessed correctly, but because she had no idea what _they_ were. Harry nodded again, his face blank from years of training. "Now, would you like to tell us about yourselves?"

"No," Rosalie Hale said contemptuously. Esme gave her a stern look, silencing the blond from running her mouth off.

"What about us would you like to know?" Carlisle asked with a calculated tone.

"Besides the obvious?" Luna asked, "You said you were collectors. How ever did you get Boucher to paint a portrait of yourself, Mr. Cullen? Carlisle, I mean. Surely not a collector's item."

Carlisle's eyes narrowed as his lips twitched upwards. "Very perceptive," he commented.

"Even more intriguing to find that you haven't aged."

Carlisle laughed at this, shaking his head in defeat. "True," he said.

Luna's eyes widened at the confession. "Am I to believe that you haven't aged since the 1700's?" Realization finally dawned on the faces of the rest of the team as they caught up with the conversation.

"1600's, actually," Carlisle corrected.

"All of you?" Harry asked, raking his eyes over the family.

"No. Just me. The rest are between two hundred and seventy. Years of age, that is," he said.

"Wow," Roger breathed. "So how long do you live for?"

"Forever."

The room stilled of noise, the last word ringing in the Aurors' ears clearly. _Immortal_, Harry thought. "That doesn't explain the lack of pulse," he said, his brows furrowed pensively.

"We wouldn't live forever if we had a pulse, would we?" Carlisle remarked.

"Then you are dead?"

"In a sense, yes," Carlisle ran his fingers through his impeccably styled hair. "But if we were dead, we wouldn't be," he reasoned.

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Yet, here you are…"

An exasperated sigh sounded from the rich, wooden chair. The Aurors turned to face Edward Cullen's frustrated face. "We're vampires," he said flatly.

The Aurors gaped open-mouthed at the handsome man, processing the information. "How –" Hermione started to say before the confusion cleared from her eyes and realization dawned. "Oh…" she said faintly.

"But… you are nothing like – we've seen – what kind – vampires?" Theo stammered.

"The vampires we've – killed," Harry said nervously, "are nothing like – you."

"We're – highly evolved," Carlisle said slowly, measuring the words in his mouth. "I don't know of the kind you have eliminated, but we are not them."

"You are vampires, as in you drink blood?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"Yes, that is true. My coven does not sacrifice human life to satisfy our thirst. We rely on wildlife."

"Fangs?" Ernie asked helplessly.

"Don't need them."

"The beauty. It's another mechanism you've evolved?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. Everything about us draws you in. A perfect predator," Carlisle said despondently.

"But you're so… kind!" Luna exclaimed. Harry stifled his groan at her honesty.

Carlisle and Esme laughed happily at this, glancing at each other lovingly. "When we are turned, our most developed human quality is amplified. _I_ have the gift of compassion and Esme has the ability to love," Carlisle said, clutching Esme's hand dearly.

"Turned… You were all human, once?" Harry asked, his mind filling with revulsion. "You were all bitten?" The revulsion turned to sorrow at the lives these vampires led.

"It is not all bad," Esme said comfortingly. "Carlisle and Jasper were bitten against their will. Unfortunate ends to such wonderful lives. Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, and I were turned by Carlisle. And Alice – she was turned by the doctor who was treating her."

Hermione had clasped her hands to her chin in horror. "Why?" she whispered hoarsely. "Why did you –" she stopped, looking at Carlisle with wide eyes.

"If there was another way…" Carlisle looked away from Hermione's condemning expression.

"He saved us," Edward spoke softly. "He saved us with his compassion. Don't you dare accuse him of _anything_." His eyes sparked with anger but his voice remained calm, intriguingly making him appear more dangerous than before.

"We were all dying. He saved us, brought us back," Esme explained, trying to calm her son.

"But at what cost?" Harry asked. The sacrifice of a mortal life for a life of death was unthinkable for him.

Esme smiled thoughtfully. "For love," she said simply.

The Aurors were smothered with the memories of their Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, and his words. The exact same words Esme had uttered – for love. The wizards and witches blinked at the image in their minds, gathering their scattered wits. They nodded as one, their eyes glazed with emotion.

After a short while, Harry's void mind started to fill with queries again. "These abilities – all of you have one?"

Carlisle and Esme nodded. "Rosalie has incomparable beauty, Emmett has brute strength, Edward can read minds, Jasper can influence emotions, and Alice sees the future," Esme said emphatically.

For the second time in ten minutes, Harry found himself with his jaw open. He snapped it shut when he came to his senses. He glanced at Edward, wondering if the vampire _could_ indeed read their minds.

"No," Edward said. "I can't." _Ironically_, Harry thought at Edward's response to his silent question.

"Why not?"

"I don't know. There's something blocking me," he said, his voice dripping with seduction. Harry felt the vampire mechanism grabbing hold of him and he quickly shook off the feeling. He turned to Alice.

"And you?"

"Somewhat. It's hazy and erratic. I see too many paths. Must be your magic," she replied, her face twisted into a mask of concentration.

"Did you see the Dementors, Ms. Whitlock?" Ernie asked.

"That's _Mrs_. Whitlock. Well, actually, just Alice will do…" she said flippantly. Harry and Draco exchanged glances. "No, I didn't see them. Again, the future looked hazy. I knew something was going to happen, just didn't know what."

"You said they could come again," Carlisle said with worry tainting his voice.

"It's definitely a possibility, Mr. Cullen," Harry nodded.

"You said you'd protect us. Why?"

"We're Aurors specializing in neutralizing situations with Dark Magic interferences. We were brought here by such an occurrence. We were following the lead when we found you in the midst of the Dementor cloud. One can only assume that the Dementors were after you. And since they weren't successful this time, there's bound to be a next time. We will be ready." Hermione looked at the parchment she had with her, studying it for a moment. "We're in Forks, population three thousand five hundred and eighty four. Shall I report?" She turned to Harry.

He nodded curtly and watched Hermione get up from the couch and move away from the crowd, her wand held to her temple. The Cullen coven watched Hermione walk away with interest.

"How do you plan on protecting us?" Carlisle asked, turning back to look at Harry.

"We stay."

-x-

Harry was walking along the perimeter of the Cullen house, fortifying the wards set in place by Hermione and Theo. He wanted to make sure that every inch of land was covered. He surveyed the forested backyard for a few minutes, waving his wand in intricate patterns and letting bursts of light spew from the end of it.

"You're very strange."

Harry spun around at the unexpected voice that sounded so close to him. He looked down at Alice, who was watching him intently. He frowned.

"So are you," he said irritably, turning back to the forest.

"And rude," she added nonchalantly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You broke my ribs," he muttered.

"And you froze me. We're even."

Harry sputtered, spinning around to face Alice's calm features. "We aren't even! I didn't even _hurt_ you!" he exclaimed.

"Hmm… Just wanted to let you know that you'll probably die sometime in the near future. Most of the paths I see about you fade to black. Thought you should know." Alice turned around with a spring in her step and hopped back to the house.

Harry gaped at her for a moment before feeling a frown dawning on his face. He impulsively flipped his fingers at her disappearing figure. Alice returned the gesture without turning around. Harry folded his arms in front of his chest, feeling defeated. He jumped at the sound of laughter behind him. He turned to it, noticing Edward leaning against a tree with a slight smile on his lips.

"I can tell you and Alice are going to get along just fine," he said quietly, amusement playing in his eyes.

"Because she's such a sweet angel," Harry said sarcastically.

"She can be when she's not playing the devil's minion," Edward responded, raising his eyebrows derisively at the thought. "I suppose seeing the future has that effect." He pushed off the tree and Harry noticed it creaking under the force. "You don't seem too fazed about what she said." Edward titled his head questioningly.

Harry rolled his eyes again. "I've heard that a million times before, no real surprise," he said, going back to protecting the property.

Edward raised his eyebrows in astonishment. "_That_ many death threats?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"I suppose this line of work is bound to have risks."

Harry smiled at Edward's innocent observation. "Yes," he said, not explaining any further.

"Why did you choose this job?"

"Never a choice," Harry said unconsciously. He realized what he'd said a moment too late. He looked up at Edward, wondering if he'd caught on. Edward had.

"Never a choice…" the vampire repeated, rolling the words around his tongue, frowning at the meaning. "It's always a choice," he said, more to himself than to Harry. Edward shook his head slightly, as though to wake up from a dream. "You're all so young," he said, changing the subject.

"Fresh out of school," Harry explained.

"How fresh?"

"We're twenty-one. Luna's still twenty, she's the youngest."

"Throwing caution to the wind every day, aren't you?"

"We're used to it," Harry said, thinking of all the duels and captures from the past years.

"Hmm…" Edward responded, walking back up the lawn. He turned around to face Harry a moment later. "Alice is right, you know? You _are_ strange," he said, winking. He walked towards his house without waiting for Harry's response.

Harry blinked at Edward's back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I am not J.K. Rowling. This story is merely my way of saluting her. I do not own any of these characters; I just manipulate their thoughts. And I'm not Stephenie Meyer either. I'm just borrowing her minions to do my bidding.

**A/N**: Well, yeah I had to bring in complications. The story would be too easy without it.

-x-

"You go to school," Draco deadpanned, looking at the vampires around the kitchen table in turn.

"Yes."

"Married and still in high school," Draco continued flatly.

"No one knows the married part of it, but yes."

Draco rubbed his eyes vehemently. "_Why?_"

"To keep up with appearances."

Draco shuddered. "Give me the choice, I'd be the doctor," he muttered.

Emmett and Edward laughed at the comment.

"Okay, so here's how it works. _Don't get in trouble_."

"Sounds easy enough," Alice said merrily, easily bypassing Draco's heavy sarcasm. He rolled his eyes, handing out Sneakoscopes to the five 'students'.

"These will start to whistle and spin whenever there's Dark Magic around you. Keep it on you at all times. If it goes off, run like hell and get back here. There will be an Auror posted outside Forks High and he or she will escort you to and from school everyday. And _please,_ don't draw any attention to us," Draco finished pleadingly.

Alice nudged Edward on his arm. "What're you going to tell Bella?"

Draco sighed despairingly. "Okay, who's Bella?"

Edward shifted on his chair uncomfortably. "Er… She's – um… I –"

Rosalie scoffed and said, "His girlfriend."

Draco gaped at Edward, who was now glaring at Rosalie. "Girlf – does she – Fuck, I hope to god she knows," he said, shaking his head.

"Of course she knows! What kind of a monster do you think I am?" Edward asked sullenly.

"The kind that could snap her in two and drain her while she's still alive," Draco answered sardonically. Edward shuddered unconsciously.

"Thank you, that's what I keep telling him," Rosalie said, nodding forcefully.

"I'll have to tell her. She could be in danger too," Edward said worriedly.

"I'll talk to Potter about that," Draco said.

"So, Harry's your boss, huh?" Emmett asked, cocking his eyebrow up.

Draco scoffed. "Like hell he is," he said disdainfully.

"He sure seems like it," Jasper added.

"Bloody Head Auror," Draco muttered. The vampires chuckled lightly at Draco's comments.

"He told me you all went to school together," Edward said. Draco nodded in ascent. "How did you get this job?" the vampire asked curiously.

Draco shrugged. "Intense training."

"No, I meant, why choose it?"

"Oh… Um… After seventh year, we – er – maybe I should let Luna tell this story," Draco stammered, relieved when Luna walked into the room.

"What story, Draco?" she asked, sitting down elegantly on the chair beside Jasper. She didn't notice him stiffening and twitching away.

"About – they wanted to know – I mean… Why we chose to become Aurors."

"Oh, that's an easy one!" she said, smiling vaguely. "It's because we were good at it."

Edward wasn't satisfied with incomplete answers. "Okay, why so young?" he pressed on.

"Didn't want to get rusty," Luna answered.

"So you were good enough before training."

"No, but we had the aptitude."

"Aptitude to risk your lives?"

"Yes, sounds about right."

"Does she always talk like this?" Emmett asked Draco softly. Draco sighed despondently and nodded. "Like Alice," Emmett remarked, showing his dimples as he grinned.

"Why were you good at it even before training?" Edward asked pointedly, knowing that he wouldn't get a straight answer from Luna unless he asked a straight question.

"Oh! You want to know about the Battle! Why didn't you say so?"

Edward looked at his siblings and Draco in exasperation. Draco shrugged, rolling his eyes. "_Yes_," Edward said. "We want to know about this – battle."

"No, not any battle. This was _the_ Battle. Where Harry killed Lord Voldemort," Luna paused for effect. She got what she wanted. The vampires straightened at her words, shooting quick glances at each other.

"You were – you were still in school?" Jasper asked, titling his head in confusion.

Luna sighed sadly. "Yes, we were. Well, I guess Harry and Hermione weren't. They were out hunting down Horcruxes. But _I_ was. And so was Draco. It was awful."

Alice made a noise of frustration. "You're the worst storyteller of all time, Luna," she said.

Draco ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay, so maybe Luna wasn't the best person to explain. Granger. She'll do a better job," he said, getting up and walking out of the windowed dining room.

Luna sat beside Jasper, looking out at the dawning day happily. "It must be wonderful not to need any sleep. All the beautiful sunrises and sunsets you get to see," she mused. Jasper glanced at Alice in disbelief. The room lapsed into silence.

"So, you are all fine with sun?"

The vampires raised their eyebrows. "Yes, we are fine with sun," Rosalie said, sighing in annoyance.

"That's good."

Silence reigned once again for a few minutes. That is, until Luna got another idea in her head.

"And garlic?"

The vampires burst out laughing at her query, shaking their heads at her. "Yes, we are fine with garlic," Emmett said, his shoulders shaking with amusement.

"That's good."

Another pause resounded before Luna's active mind took hold. "And Baggerwillies?"

"Yes, we are – wait, what?"

"Oh look, Hermione's here!"

The vampires hid their confused smiles from Luna as they turned to greet Hermione. She sat down at the table with heavy eyes and a tired manner. Draco leaned on the table, looking at Hermione expectantly.

"You want to know about the Battle?" she asked.

The vampires nodded.

"I'll just give you the shorthand version of it," Hermione said, leaning her elbows on the table and propping her chin on the palms of her hands. "Because it's a _long_ story. I suppose it all started with a prophecy. Voldemort was the Darkest wizard known to man and he found out about the prophecy. It talked about a boy born on July thirty-first who will have powers beyond Voldemort's grasp. Neither could live with the other survived." She sighed. "Unfortunately for Harry, Voldemort chose to interpret it with the Potters in mind. When Harry was a year old, the Dark Lord – he killed Lily and James Potter. But when he tried to kill Harry, he disintegrated. Harry was protected by his mother's sacrificial death. He essentially fragmented Voldemort. The world thought Voldemort dead. That wasn't the case. During our first year at school, Voldemort was back – a piece of him was back. As the years progressed, he grew stronger. Fourth year, he gained his body back. Fifth and sixth year he built his army. And seventh year, he attacked and – it was awful." Hermione shuddered with revulsion at the memories.

"Was it so difficult to kill him?" Edward asked softly.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. He had split his soul into seven parts - we call them Horcruxes. He wouldn't truly be dead until we had killed _all_ of him. And that's what we did. We didn't know what these Horcruxes looked like, but we spent the better part of seventh year searching."

"We?"

"Harry, Ron – my husband – and I. We had found six by the time we reached Hogwarts, our school. Voldemort was already initiating the attack. The deaths," Hermione took a shaky breath, "were horrific. Our friends died before our eyes. We were _children_, but they showed no mercy. Voldemort wanted to purge the world of all impure blood. He would not hesitate to stoop to killing children. We had to destroy him before he destroyed the school. But we had yet to find the last Horcrux… Harry found it as Voldemort's army ambushed us. The last part of Voldemort was in Harry."

The vampires shifted as a sign of surprise but didn't voice their astonishment. They merely moved in closer to listen to Hermione's lowered tone.

"Harry – he had to die in order to kill Voldemort. He needed to die to save us. So, he left. He left to find Voldemort. He left to sacrifice himself. He left to die. And… he _did_. Voldemort killed him. But in doing so, he killed the last Horcrux. Voldemort was mortal once again. Harry lived. Even with the most powerful wand – the Elder Wand, Voldemort couldn't destroy Harry. I suppose it is because Harry was the true wielder of the Elder Wand. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry again, the wand refused. It instead turned on Voldemort, killing him."

"And now…" Alice said.

"And now we're trying to rid the world of the remnants of Voldemort. While he's gone, his army is still scattered around the world. That's where we come in. We intercept the Dark Magic."

"You save the world," Emmett said jovially.

Luna laughed quietly. "Yes, we do."

Edward's mind was filtering the information, trying to fit in missing pieces, things that Hermione had left out. "So… Did he ever have a choice?" he asked, thinking back to the conversation.

Draco guffawed. "With Potter, there's never a choice. Even if there is, he's too chivalrous to choose the easy way. He has a bloody savior complex. It's either the right choice or no choice with him," he said, rolling his eyes.

"He's the wielder of the most powerful wand," Jasper repeated. "Does that mean he's the most powerful wizard?" he asked, his eyes widening slightly.

The Aurors snorted with amusement. "Yeah, say that to his face and he'll look like a blushing newlywed," Draco said, shaking his head at the thought. "He doesn't use the wand. He's too attached to his old one. But yeah, I suppose he's one of the more powerful wizards, since he is in possession of two of the three Hallows."

"Hallows?"

"Strongest magical objects that we know of. Besides the Elder Wand, he has the Invisibility Cloak. He _had_ the Resurrection Stone, but once again, chivalry got in the way. So he doesn't have that anymore. But yes, with those two objects, I wouldn't be surprised if he is the most powerful wizard of our time," Draco explained. "But don't bring it up unless you want him to get flustered and start mumbling like an idiot," he added sarcastically.

"Is that all you ever say about me, Malfoy?" Harry's mild voice sounded from the door.

Draco smirked. "Which part?" he asked.

"All I heard was snark, snark, grumble, grumble, idiot. I assumed you'd only be talking about me," Harry said, strolling into the room. He was oblivious to the looks the vampires were giving him.

"We were just talking about how you're the most powerful wizard of your time," Alice said simply.

The Aurors snickered when Harry stopped in his tracks, blood draining from his face before flooding back in at full force. Edward smacked Alice. "Now you're just torturing him," he scolded.

"That's not – I am – just because I… I mean, I'm not the only –" Harry garbled, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

"I present to you, the mumbling idiot," Draco said, waving his hand at Harry with flourish.

"Shut up, Malfoy, before I hex you to next week. It's always your fault," Harry mumbled sourly.

Draco winked at the amused group. "It's true. Always my fault," he said impishly.

"Er… Did you debrief them?" Harry asked, swiftly changing the topic.

"Yes. Although we have a slight problem," Draco said, looking pointedly at Edward. "His girlfriend."

"Why's that a problem?" Harry asked.

"Besides the fact that she's human? Oh, no problem."

"Wh – Oh. Um… how close is she – to your family, I mean," Harry stuttered.

"We're close," Edward said vaguely.

"Can you do anything about her? She would only be in more danger if she knew."

Edward tugged at his ear unconsciously. "I don't know. She's very perceptive; I can't hide things from her. If she asks why I can't pick her up anymore, what do I say? Or if she wants to know why she can't come over… Or why I can't go out with her. Wow, this could be harder than I thought."

"Tell her that more family is in town." Harry earned sardonic snorts for that lame excuse. He sighed. "Try for a week. We'll see how it goes." Edward nodded glumly. "So, when does school start?" Harry asked.

"Three hours."

"Good, we have plenty of time. So here's how it works. Three to four of us on duty each day. One here, one at the hospital and one or two at school, depending. We alternate every other day. Report new findings stat and see if you can track those Dementors. They should still be together. We'll be the four for today, I asked Roger, Ernie and Theo to go rest up. Sounds good?"

The group nodded.

"Malfoy, you'll be here. Luna, you're at the hospital with Carlisle. Hermione, you're with me, considering you look like you're about to drop dead on your feet."

Hermione groaned. "I need a Pepper-Up potion so bad," she mumbled sleepily. Harry smiled at Hermione, looking back at the vampires.

"You guys wouldn't happen to have any coffee, would you?"

-x-

"Oh no, no way are you driving us in those clothes," Rosalie said snootily. Harry looked down at his black Auror robe and glanced at Hermione in distress.

"Rosalie!" Esme admonished.

"What? I don't want to be seen with freaks," the blond retorted.

"She's right, Harry," Hermione said. "If we're going to go out into the Muggle world, we'd better dress like them."

Harry rolled his eyes before shrugging off his robe. He held out his arms, staring scathingly at Rosalie. "Is this better?"

"Not bad," Rosalie said, eyeing Harry's tall, lean body that was simply clothed in a green tee and fitted jeans.

"Women," Harry muttered grouchily. Emmett laughed out loud and Edward allowed himself a smile. "Who's driving?" Harry asked, stowing his wand in his jeans uncomfortably. Hermione had taken off her robe as well, looking ruffled in her clothes.

Emmett smiled devilishly. "I am," he said with a cheeky glint. His siblings laughed at the private joke. Harry knew he was in for a ride. "We'll take the Volvo," the burly vampire said, grabbing his keys. The students and Aurors filed down to the garage, where Harry got an eyeful of expensive, luxury cars and bikes. He must have looked impressed because Alice said, "We like speed. This is pretty much the only way to fuel our addiction."

The silver Volvo was parked at the end. Emmett stepped into the driver's seat, causing the van to rock precariously. Rosalie sat next to him. Alice and Jasper snagged the middle seats and Harry, Hermione, and Edward were left to squeeze into the back. Esme was waving at them from the house. Emmett waved back before starting the car and gunning out of the driveway.

"Whoa!" Harry yelped as he was jostled sharply by Emmett's reckless twists. They wound down their long driveway to the main road in record time, peeling into the street before resuming traffic speed.

"That was nothing. Wait until we hit the highway," Alice remarked, turning her head slightly to look at Harry and Hermione's startled faces.

Harry stared out the window over Hermione's head, watching the dull green forest whip past them. The clouds were covering the sun, casting a gloomy shadow over the entire town. He switched his focus to look at his best friend, who was leaning her head against the headrest, sleeping quietly.

"How far is your school?" Harry asked, turning to Edward.

"Twenty minutes give or take, with Emmett driving."

"If I drive?"

"Thirty or forty minutes."

"Long way to drive."

"We figured it'd be safer to live further out of town."

Harry nodded in understanding. They rode in silence for a few minutes. Then Edward turned to Harry, curiosity in his eyes.

"Why don't you use the Elder Wand?"

Harry blinked at the question, biting his lip thoughtfully. "I – I never thought of it as mine to keep. I borrowed it, and then returned it," he said slowly, staring ahead.

Edward stared at Harry's profile, intrigued by the Auror. "Draco said it was _your_ wand. How did you get it?"

"It's complicated. The Elder Wand, it used to be in the possession of our Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He was the _most_ powerful wizard, not me. Voldemort wasn't strong enough, so he sent his servants to destroy Dumbledore. Draco – he'd kill me if he knew I was telling you this…" Harry drummed on the seat in front of him, contemplating his words. Edward looked on silently. Harry let out a puff of air, sitting back. He turned to look at Edward finally. "Draco used to – he was part of Voldemort's army. In his sixth year, his mission was to kill Dumbledore. A fool's errand, I don't think Voldemort expected him to succeed. I _know_ Draco couldn't have done it; I was there. But he… He managed to disarm Dumbledore. The thing about wands is that once a wizard disarms another, he is in possession of the wand of the defeated. Draco was the owner of the Elder Wand for over a year, he just didn't know it. The wand was placed in Dumbledore's tomb, but Voldemort, who wasn't aware of the change in wand magic, later stole it. But it wouldn't work unless wielded by the true owner. In seventh year, I disarmed Draco. Which meant that I could now use the Elder Wand. So… here I am. It was just happenstance."

Edward's mind reeled with the information. His siblings had thousands of questions in their minds; Edward could feel them. But he didn't ask, lest he dig too deep into Harry's morbid past.

"And, an Invisibility Cloak?"

Harry smiled fondly at the question. "Yes, it has been in my family for generations. My father passed it down to me. It is part of a story, you see. The Deathly Hallows – three prized possessions of brothers who wanted to cheat death. One asked for the most powerful wand in the world, the Elder Wand. The second asked for the ability to bring back the dead, the Resurrection Stone. The third asked for Death's Invisibility Cloak. The third is the most cherished possession of mine. The Resurrection Stone – it did more harm than good for most people, so I – I don't have it. And the wand, it was never mine to keep."

"You are one-of-a-kind, aren't you?" Edward asked softly, turning around to stare out the window.

"I'm just Harry," the Auror responded quietly, staring at his hands.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I am not J.K. Rowling. This story is merely my way of saluting her. I do not own any of these characters; I just manipulate their thoughts. And I'm not Stephenie Meyer either. I'm just borrowing her minions to do my bidding.

**A/N:** Wow, didn't see _this_ coming, did you? Er, and I accidently described Esme as a blond. Please pardon, I'll be changing it to brunette starting this chapter.

-x-

The day passed slowly. Harry left Hermione to doze off in the car and placed a Notice-not charm on himself before clamoring out of the car with the students. The parking lot was covered with teens. The vampires set off towards the school without a backward glance. Harry leaned against the Volvo, watching the Muggles go about their business. Seeing the easy chatter and friendly smiles made him feel nostalgic.

Harry noticed Edward slowing down as he reached a beat-up red pickup truck. A brunette was standing against it, reading her book. She looked up when Edward neared, her pale face breaking into a fond smile. Harry assumed that he was watching Bella. Edward was now talking to her, perhaps explaining the situation. Bella nodded silently, staring up at Edward with rapturous and trusting eyes. _I guess it worked_, Harry thought. He vaguely noted the uncharacteristic way the two behaved. Whenever Bella shuffled back, Edward stepped forward. If Edward nodded down, Bella leaned up. When Edward brushed his hair back, Bella twirled hers between her fingers. It was like a synchronized dance. Harry marveled at the two for a moment before moving his gaze to the rest of the students. Everyone looked normal enough and no one gave him a second glance.

The bell clanged, causing the students to pause before moving to the entrance of the school. The lot was emptied within a matter of seconds, the final stragglers running to get to class on time. Harry swept his eyes over the calm road, pushing off of the van and wandering down the street. The school was isolated, surrounded by grass and trees. The nearest house was three blocks away. Harry was unnerved by the quiet. London was the most bustling city he'd ever lived in and now Forks was the exact opposite. Smog was replaced with fog. Cars were replaced with woods. And apparently, people were replaced with vampires. _Who knew? _ He placed wards around the school that would indicate the presence of any intruder possessing Dark Magic. He fortified his spells for an hour, scouring the perimeter of the school.

After he was sufficiently satisfied, he meandered back to the van, opening it quietly so as not to wake Hermione up. He conjured up his notes, stretched out in the middle seats of the van, resting his head against the door. He set out to read them, whistling lowly to keep himself awake. He had been compiling as much information as he could about the Cullen coven, trying to scan their information with the information from the Ministry. The results he received were less than satisfactory. All he gathered from the information was that the Cullens were indeed vampires. _Like I didn't know that already_. He sighed as he touched the parchment with his wand and made the writing disappear. He shuffled through more information. He needed to know _who_ would want to attack the Cullens. The why would follow the who. According to Carlisle, there were many secret covens hiding around the world. Most were non-human feasting vampires. But there _are_ few who prefer human blood to other animals. Unfortunately, not a lot was known about them because these covens were nomadic. And Harry was puzzled at how these vampires could possibly acquire the Dementors.

Hermione woke up in the next couple of hours, in time for lunch. After apologizing profusely for sleeping for three hours, she helped Harry work out the information with her systematic methods. The seats were filled with piles of paper and changing data. Hermione thought it best to go back to records dating 1300. Harry groaned at this number. Records from that far back were horrendous to read due to the changes in English and dialect, as well as the poor physical condition the parchments were in. Hermione figured that knowing more about the Cullens could help them determine the reason for them to be targeted.

The two were startled out of their discussion when they heard a knock on the window. They looked at each other. They had the Notice-not charms on them. So how did Alice and Jasper see them? Harry cautiously opened the door.

"Er – we can't – um. You guys are here, right?" Jasper asked, his expression confused. Harry flicked his wand at himself and Hermione, repealing the charm. Jasper looked slightly startled but Alice seemed to have known their whereabouts all along.

"We brought you lunch!" Alice chirped, handing them slices of pizza and pop. "Apparently, the pizzas are quite good," she added as Harry eyed it critically. It was dripping with grease. He gulped.

"Hopefully you heard right," he said. "I can't believe they feed you _this_ in school," he muttered, taking a tentative bite. He chewed it slowly, letting the cheese melt into his mouth. He nodded with approval. "Yes, quite good," he said, smiling at Alice. Hermione still eyed her's suspiciously.

Jasper flicked his eyes over the messy van. "You've been very busy."

Hermione nodded, staring at her notes. "We're just reading up on you guys, seeing if there's any information in our records."

"Are there?"

"Not much," Harry answered with a disheartened tone.

"But you've just started! I'm sure you'll find something soon enough. School is out in three more hours. See you then!" Alice said, closing the door softly.

The Aurors spent the better part of the next hour eating their pizza while trying not to drip all over their clothes. Harry was starting to feel bouts of exhaustion running through him once he was full. His eyes unfocused on their own and his mind fuzzed up every few minutes. Hermione noticed and made him get in the back to catch some sleep for the next two hours. Harry started to protest, but his yawns gave him away. He was asleep in a matter of seconds. It seemed only a few minutes had gone by before he was jostled awake. He cracked his eyes open to find Edward's apologetic smile as he settled into the car. Harry waved heavily at the vampire, but his eyes refused to stay open. Apparently, even the Boy-Who-Lived couldn't handle a thirty-six hour day.

"You need to buckle up," Edward said softly, trying to wake Harry up. Harry thought he _had_, so he went on sleeping. Edward sighed, reaching above Harry's shoulder and pulling the strap over the Auror towards the buckle. He snapped it shut and gently lifted Harry's arm over the belt. Harry jerked awake at the cold touch, blinking furiously. Edward dropped Harry's arm, apologizing again. By this time they were already on the highway, traveling at breakneck speed.

"Sorry," Harry muttered, running his hands down his drowsy face. "I'm usually not a deep sleeper," he added. He stretched his long arms in front of him, caving his back.

"Considering you had _no_ sleep yesterday, I'm sure we can make an exception," Edward said, smiling wryly.

Harry took a deep breath and woke himself up. "How was school?" he asked, trying to make conversation. The vampires laughed melodiously at Harry's inquiry, not bothering to answer. "I guess it was fine," Harry answered himself.

Conversation stopped after that, leaving the van quiet for the next fifteen minutes. They turned on the obscure path carved into the tree line against the freeway. After winding up the slope, the Cullen house came into view. Emmett parked skillfully in the garage amidst the other automobiles. Harry had been yawning the entire way, and was glad that the lull of the van had stopped. The group filed out of the car. Esme and Draco were waiting at the door for them.

"Had fun?" Draco asked the vampires and Aurors walked up.

Harry grumbled at Draco, as did Hermione. They needed to figure out a better way to stake out the school without hiding in the Volvo. The cramped space allowed to minimal movement. But Harry was too tired to think about that.

"Any troubles?" he asked as he walked into the airy foyer.

"No. Esme is one hell of a cook though," Draco replied, grinning at the brunette.

"You're lucky. We had to eat the slimiest pizza known to man," Hermione commented.

"When does Carlisle get home?" Harry asked the coven.

"Usually by five."

"Okay, so we'll wait until then to talk about the night duty."

The group scattered through the house at Harry's dismissal. Emmett and Rosalie had that look about them – the one that Ron and Hermione got before they disappeared into hidden corners. The two vampires raised an eyebrow at each other before rushing upstairs. Alice and Jasper laughed at their siblings. She tugged him into the backyard, talking rapidly while entwining her fingers around his. Esme and Hermione were in the kitchen. Esme had a determined look on her, which could only mean one thing – she was going to serve Hermione the most delicious meal of her life. Draco and Harry wandered into the living room, followed by Edward.

"How much money _do _you have?" Draco asked, gently running his fingers along the books.

"More than we need," Edward replied.

Harry walked up to the grand piano, eyeing the lustrous black surface. He hesitantly uncovered the keys, reverently pulling up the fall. There were no sheets on the stand. Harry gingerly touched a key. A muted tone fell from the body of the piano. He slid his fingers further down and touched another. A higher note rung quietly.

"Do you play?" Edward asked, having moved closer to Harry by then.

Harry shook his head, gently pressing down another key. "Wouldn't have the patience to learn," he added. "Do you?"

"Yes. I've had a hundred years to learn," Edward said, smiling slightly. He slid onto the bench, running his fingers expertly over the keys, playing a short riff. Harry raised his eyebrows, impressed.

"It sounds better with the lid open," Edward said, leaning forward and propping the large black lid up. He played the same riff again, but this time the sound carried through the room. It bounced off the walls and fell back into Harry's ear, making the music fuller.

"Would you like me to play something for you?" Edward asked.

Harry shrugged. "If you'd like," he said, leaning against the side of the piano.

"Yes, I'd like to," Edward said almost inaudibly. Draco seated himself of the chair, watching Edward intently.

Edward touched the keys lightly, as though memorizing patterns. Without a moment's notice his touches grew heavier, pushing into the ebony and ivory to create a solemn tune. It started at a pianissimo and tranquillo, easing the notes out of the strings. Harry watched hypnotically as the small hammers tripped the metal wires under the propped lid. Edward's eyes had closed by then and his brows were pulled into a look of confusion.

"I – I think," he said softly through the continuous melody, "this song is about you."

Harry looked at Draco in marvel. He turned back to Edward. "Um… You're making this up?"

"Yes."

The melody started to crescendo ever so slightly as Edward understood what he was playing. It stayed calm and flowing for a few more measures before turning spry and allegro. Harry felt a smile dawn on his face at the new tune. It reminded him of Quidditch. Edward's fingers skipped from key to key, coursing through the expanse of the piano without inhibition. The melody flew through the room, swooping and falling. Harry's heart leapt at the high trills Edward threw in. It grew louder and faster, as though a race towards a spectacular end. Harry envisioned himself dropping towards the ground at breathtaking speed, leaning in to capture the Snitch. He glanced at Draco and found the same anticipatory expression on his face. The grin was wiped off of their faces when the tune stopped midway through descent. Harry looked at Edward's fingers as they trudged along the lower octaves ominously. His breath came in shallow when he heard the dark notes grow rapidly from pianissimo to fortissimo. The keys were struck with purpose and Harry flinched internally at each note. The darkness made the room seem hollow, a thin illusion. Harry found that he was gripping the side of the piano with white knuckles as the music turned agitated and precarious. His mind flashed to the Dementors and the sick feeling they brought out of him. He held in his gasp at the scream of his mother. The melody wallowed in thick sadness for a few beats before dying out into slow persistent notes at the end of the last octave on the keyboard. Harry watched Edward's finger still at the last note, lingering uncertainly before pulling away. He glanced up at Edward's ponderous face and found it staring at the last key, apparently dissatisfied with the ending. Edward raised his eyes to meet Harry's. Harry found them clouded with turmoil and sadness. He wondered if his eyes mirrored the expressions. He consciously slowed his breath and his heart.

"I've never done that…" Edward said, breaking the heavy silence.

"Done what?" Harry asked, snapping out of his daze.

"Made up a piece in one sitting."

"Oh."

They stared at each other, gold on green. "I felt like I could read you," Edward said softly. Harry blinked. Edward continued, "Not your thoughts but… something…"

Harry shifted his eyes away finally, afraid to give any of his emotions away. He stared at the stilled keys instead. "You played – that was really… spectacular," he said.

Edward smiled through his confusion, still staring at Harry. "Like I said, a century of practice."

Draco was shifting in his chair uncomfortably by this time. Harry suddenly remembered about Draco being in the same room. He flicked his eyes at Draco with trepidation, but found no mocking looks or amused expressions. The pale blond looked as shocked as Harry.

"You alright, Harry?" Draco asked.

"Yeah," Harry responded tiredly, moving away from the piano and plopping down on the couch. "Just tired."

"Want something to eat? Esme seems to be making stir fry," Edward said, promptly getting up from the piano bench.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," Harry said, watching Edward breeze out of the room.

Draco took the opportunity to get up and sit beside Harry, his elegant mask barely hiding his concern. "He could read you?"

"I don't know. I'm just overtly emotional when I have no sleep. I think he meant that he could feel it," Harry responded, leaning his head back on the sofa and closing his eyes. "Once I get some rest, I'll be fine."

Draco frowned at Harry, unconvinced. "It looked like you – it sounded like he really knew you," the blond said. Harry smiled sleepily.

"_Everyone_ knows too much about me, Draco," Harry said, turning his head and opening his puffy eyes. Draco shrugged, nodding.

"That stir fry sounds good right about now, don't you think?" Harry asked, struggling to get up off the couch. Draco wrapped his fingers around Harry's, pulling him down.

"I guess not," Harry murmured in amusement as he sat back down. Draco forced him into a rough kiss. He was jolted awake as Draco nibbled on his lips insistently. Harry tried to push him away, but Draco was holding him tight and kissing him hungrily.

"Draco," Harry hissed into Draco's bruising lips. "We're on the clock!"

"Fuck it," Draco answered, raking his fingers through Harry's thick hair.

"Also," Harry breathed, Draco's passion licking at him. "They can hear everything."

That stilled Draco immediately. His fingers let go of Harry's hair and his lips brushed against Harry's. "Damn it," he muttered into Harry's wet mouth. He stared at Harry's amused eyes and scowled. He planted another insistent kiss of Harry's open lips, dipping his tongue in for a swiping taste. Then he let go, moving away. "Stir fry, it is," he sighed, pulling Harry up off the couch.

Harry stretched lazily, his arms over his head and his back arched. He turned around yawning and caught Edward standing at the doorway. He dropped his hands, his yawn stopping midway. "Oh… Er – sorry," Harry muttered, his face flushed. He wondered how much Edward had seen. By the careful expression on the vampire's face, Harry assumed he'd seen enough. "Malfoy has no self-control," he explained, glaring at Draco's easy grin.

Draco walked to the archway, pulling Harry along. "He says that now, but he doesn't really mind it in the be – ow!" Draco rubbed his bruised ribs, scowling at Harry. Harry was now staring at his feet, utterly embarrassed by Draco's callousness.

"I – just – um, sorry, he's also the prince of too much information," Harry apologized to Edward. Edward remained passive, watching the two men glare furiously at each other.

"Dinner's ready," the vampire said softly.

"Oh, good," Harry said. Draco pulled him out of the room and into the main foyer, slipping past Edward. Edward watched Draco faltering slightly and glancing back at him. With a wink, the blond dipped Harry down into an explosive kiss. Harry flailed his arms as he felt himself being pushed down against Draco's arm. He latched onto Draco's shirt, trying to push him away. Draco held him steady, fitting a thirsty tongue into Harry's startled mouth. Harry shivered under the kiss. He pulled Draco down, arching into his mouth. With a wet smack, Draco ended the show, setting Harry upright. Harry stumbled slightly, dazed. Draco wiggled his eyebrows at Edward, much to Harry's chagrin.

"Malfoy, if I could punch straight, you'd be down with a broken nose right now," Harry muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Good thing you can't punch straight, Potter," Draco drawled. He was rewarded with a sharp kick on the shin. He swore loudly and hopped about. Harry looked apologetically at Edward again.

"I swear, we're usually much more civil," he said, before smacking Draco's head and walking into the dining room. Draco limped after him, scowling.

Neither man noticed the strange flicker of emotion sparking in Edward's eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I am not J.K. Rowling. This story is merely my way of saluting her. I do not own any of these characters; I just manipulate their thoughts. And I'm not Stephenie Meyer either. I'm just borrowing her minions to do my bidding.

-x-

Over the course of the night, the Auror team decided to have two people on duty. Luna had managed to get her hands on some Pepper-Up potions. Harry and Hermione were to spend the night at the Cullens, since they were the only ones who were able to catch a couple hours of sleep during the day. The rest gratefully went home, Apparating deep in the woods were Harry's wards didn't stop them from disappearing. Harry and Hermione stepped back in the house when they couldn't catch sight of the team anymore. Roger, Theo and Ernie were going to be relieving them in eight hours. Harry closed the door behind him, smiling at the Cullens.

"So, what do you do at night?"

Apparently, everything. They read, listened to music, went out for runs, watched movies – everything but sleep. A couple hours into the shift, Harry found himself on the couch, his legs crossed with a plate of cookies on his lap and a curious looking gaming console in his hands. Alice had thrust it at him, fed up with his wandering feet and nosy behavior.

"Play," she'd said before disappearing to the study. Harry had blinked after her, glancing down at the black box in his hand. On his way to the living room, Esme had handed him a steaming plate of chocolate chip cookies. And now Harry was on the couch, finally having figured out how to open the device. He'd seen Dudley use one, albeit one that was twice the size. He figured it'd be easy enough. _If Dudley could do it, how hard could it be?_

The screens flashed on and quiet music erupted from the back. Harry turned it around in his hand, noticing the abundance of buttons. He supposed pressing the Start button would start the game. He did so, watching the screens welcome him and ask him if he wanted to resume. Harry shrugged to himself, grabbing a cookie and biting into the chewy center as he pressed the Yes button. A lone car sputtered on the screen, surrounded by curious floating objects. He gently tapped the arrow that pointed up. As he'd thought, the car moved forward slowly. He pressed the button firmly, watching the car pick up speed and hit one of the floating objects. He let out a surprised laugh when the device dinged and the points on the screen increased. He pushed forward again, popping the cookie into his mouth and grabbing the device with both hands. He used the arrows to navigate the loops, bouncing off the barriers more times than he could keep track of. He grabbed all the points he could get, swerving around tight corners and sputtering to a halt whenever a wall appeared in random places.

"You're such a child," Hermione said from the archway.

Harry looked up at her, his face stuffed with another cookie. "Am not," he said, his voice muffled.

Hermione rolled her eyes, walking out of the room. Harry scowled after her and then suddenly realized the game was still on. He flicked his eyes back, groaning when he found that he'd crashed into one of the flaming hoops.

"Thanks, Hermione," he muttered to himself, restarting the game.

"I gather you've never used it before," Edward's soft voice came from behind the couch. Harry yelped in surprise, dropping the gadget and grabbing the plate of cookies before he upended it. He breathed a sigh of relief as his brain caught up a moment later.

"Next time, say hi before you sneak up on me," Harry said, placing the cookies on the table and turning to face Edward. The young vampire smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind. Defeats the purpose of sneaking though."

Harry smiled back. "Yes, it does. And no, I've never seen this –" he gestured at the device on the couch, " – before."

"Alice has these phases she goes through," Edward said, walking around to sit beside Harry. He picked up the gaming device, restarting the game. "She likes to pretend she's still… human," he smiled slightly, rapidly pushing buttons.

Harry arched his eyebrows, looking at the flawless way Edward was playing it. "You're practiced," Harry said sarcastically.

Edward chuckled. "Yes. Sometimes I like to pretend too," he said distantly.

"My cousin had one of these. He never let me play it. I always wondered…"

"Wonder no more, I guess."

Harry laughed quietly, listening to the constant pings the game made as Edward racked up points. Edward was silent for a few moments. Then he turned to Harry, his brows furrowed. "Your cousin. He wasn't very nice, was he?"

Harry sat back, baffled. "I – er, I never thought much of him. How –" Harry gestured helplessly.

"Something about you… Strange, isn't it?" Edward turned back to the game.

"Something about me? What about me?"

"Like you said to Draco. I can't hear you, but I can still feel you."

Harry pursed his lips, frowning at the couch. He strengthened his Occlumency, building another wall around his already closed mind. "Can you still feel me?"

Edward shrugged. "Yes."

Harry sighed in exasperation. "You aren't supposed to," he said glumly. "I was never all that good at closing my mind, but I thought – well, after those three years, I thought maybe I'd learnt."

"Oh? You close your mind?"

"Well, I assumed that's why you couldn't read our thoughts. We block you. Second nature, really."

Edward glanced up at Harry thoughtfully before pausing the game. "Well, open it."

Harry shook his head, looking at Edward with a ridiculous expression. "No way."

"Why?"

"Because then you'd read me!"

"So? I read everyone. There's nothing that'd shock me. Lost innocence," Edward winked slyly.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Harry muttered.

Edward looked at him mildly, causing Harry to get flustered. "No," Harry said again, more to reassure himself. The vampire watched Harry for a few more seconds, studying him curiously.

"You don't seem like a strong wizard," he said, finally.

Harry huffed, folding his arms in front of him. "Just because I can't keep my feelings bottled up doesn't mean I'm not strong," he grumbled. "Plus, the lack of sleep factors in."

Edward laughed at Harry. "No, I meant you're so… je ne sais quoi. Open? Youthful?" He frowned, searching for the right word. "I guess I'm looking for – happy?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's me. Bloody pleased Potter."

"Let me guess, Draco's words? I just assumed that if you're so powerful, you'd be uptight."

"I've had enough experience with uptight people to know never to be like them," Harry explained.

Edward nodded, gazing at Harry openly. The golden gaze was enough to cause Harry to stop breathing. His mind reeled with more things to say. "Bella," he gasped, inhaling sharply. "Tell me about Bella. She – would she need our protection too?"

Edward's eyes sparked at the mention of Bella's name. "She – she's quite prone to getting herself into trouble," Edward said, smiling fondly. "As you can tell," he waved to himself pointedly.

"R – right. How did – or is that _really_ personal? Sorry," Harry blushed, biting his tongue.

"Oh, no. I suppose you should know it anyway, considering you're my body guard, and all…" Harry cringed at the word. It didn't go unnoticed. "Um… Well, she's new to Forks. And I – I have this – I'm really attracted to her – blood," Edward said the last word very quietly. Harry strained to hear and then pulled back in surprise.

"Wh – Wha – What?" he stammered.

"It happens. Some humans attract vampires more than others. Or rather, some vampires are attracted to some humans more than others. Bella happens to be my attraction."

"B - But, you don't – I mean, she's not – Wow…"

Edward rolled his eyes. "No, I did not _drink_ her. But I – I'm just protective. And she's – enraptured," Edward sighed.

"Is that bad?"

"Oh, no. Well – yes. I mean, I _could_ snap her in half and drink her blood… Draco's words." Harry laughed incredulously at Draco's insensitivity. "And I've tried to keep away from her. I really don't have anyone else to blame but myself in this matter."

Harry didn't press forward, finding himself in intensely personal territory. He waded out of it, grabbing another cookie. "It must be awful not being able to eat chocolate," he mused absently.

Edward's loud laugh rang through the empty room. Once again, Harry's heart fluttered at the impossibly thrilling sound. "Those vampire mechanisms sure do work," he muttered, causing Edward to laugh louder.

"Edward, shut up!" Rosalie's voice sounded from upstairs. Harry looked at Edward in amusement and disbelief, muffling his own laugh against his hand. Edward shook his head at the ceiling, quieting down.

"She won't even let you laugh?" Harry asked, his voice shaking with mirth. Edward winked as he laughed silently

"I heard that!" Rosalie said from her room.

Esme floated into the room with a mug of steaming coffee. Harry looked up at her, smiling graciously. "Thank you. For the cookies too," he said, nodding at the half-empty plate.

Esme blinked at him curiously, smiling. She glanced at Edward for a split second. Edward raised his eyebrows slightly at Esme, but that's all Harry saw. He wondered what Esme had been thinking. "If you need anything else, Harry," Esme said softly, "just give me a shout." She floated out of the room as quickly as she'd appeared.

"Hmm…" Harry watched after her. "What'd she say?"

"She said if you need anything –"

Harry snorted. "Not that part, the part I couldn't hear."

"Oh…" Edward didn't answer. Harry turned to face him. "Nothing important," Edward responded.

"Isn't it always something important?"

"Do you always think out loud?"

Harry jerked out of his thoughts. "I – no, never… I mean – not always, I don't think," he said.

"You don't think…" Edward smirked. Harry rolled his eyes. He sat back against the couch, staring out the window.

"Doesn't it get boring?" he asked.

"Yes," Edward answered, simply.

Harry sighed, wondering how much longer he could hold up without keeling over. "So, if Bella _does_ need protection, although I don't see why she would, just let me know," he said.

"Okay."

Harry struggled up off the couch, stretching his numb legs. Inconceivably, he found himself gravitating towards the piano again. He sat down on the bench, lifting up the fall. Edward lounged on the couch, his head on the armrest and his feet planted on the other armrest. Harry touched the key lightly, memorizing the note. Then he moved up and touched the next one, skipping the black key in between.

"How'd you meet Draco?"

Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "In school."

"When?"

He nudged the first key again. "A _long_ time ago."

"When?"

"First year." Harry pushed a key one octave below the original one, letting the deep tone echo in the closed body.

"You liked him in first year?"

Harry scoffed. "Hardly. We hated each other."

"And now you – love each other?"

Harry's fingers stilled and a frown grew on his face. He shook his head, then nodded. He opened his mouth, then closed it.

"You don't know?"

"Um…"

"Looked like you do."

"Does it?" Harry asked mildly. "Like you love Bella?" he asked impulsively.

Edward's eyes widened. "I don't love – I mean – um…"

"It's not the same, is it?"

"I don't know…"

"It was interesting watching you two in the parking lot. You are so – together. In everything you do. Like you know everything about each other. I don't have that with Malfoy."

"I don't know anything about her…" Edward said softly.

"Oh?" Harry said, letting his fingers run along the keyboard lightly. Some notes rang out while others stuck. Like organized chaos.

"I can't read her either."

Harry didn't show his surprise, but he was sure Edward felt it. Harry nodded, smiling. "Would be awful if you could."

"Yes, it might be."

"Is this getting a little too deep?"

"Yes, it is."

Harry chuckled. "We'll stop then." Harry let his hand settle on the highest note before pulling away. "Alice is already fed up with my nosiness. I don't want you to think so too."

"I don't think I could," Edward muttered silently. Harry pretended not to hear him, his mind confused. "Speaking of Alice…" Edward said, looking at the archway. A second later Alice appeared, looking a little too cheery.

"Harry! Come out with us for a walk!" she said, walking up to the piano and looking at him eagerly.

"Um… no?" Harry said, wondering at Alice's overly friendly nature.

Edward perked up, hearing Alice's thoughts. His face seemed to be reprimanding Alice. Harry frowned. "What's she planning on doing to me?" he asked.

"Nothing," Alice said sweetly. "I just wanted to make amends!"

"No, you don't," Harry said, watching Edward's varying expressions.

"Don't listen to Edward, he's just a worry wart. See, Jasper's coming too."

As though on cue, Jasper appeared at the doorway, looking uncomfortable as always. Harry looked at Alice's slightly pouting lips and puppy dog eyes, his resolve weakening. "Um… A short walk would be okay, I guess," he said hesitantly.

"No, it won't," Edward said, now glaring at Alice menacingly. Harry watched in marvel as his expression quickly changed from suspicion and anger to confusion and calmness. He supposed he had Jasper to thank as he felt the calm wash over him.

"Okay, let's go," Alice said, grabbing Harry's shirt by the neck and tugging him along. Harry shrugged at Edward, allowing himself to be dragged out of the house. Once they reached the edge of the forest, Alice let go.

"Alright, apologize," Harry said, straightening his shirt.

"Not before you do," Alice responded. Jasper shook his head at his wife, wandering off into the trees.

"You crushed my ribs, I think it's only fair that you apologize first."

"Fine, we'll apologize at the same time."

"Fine."

"I can see the future, Harry, don't forget it."

"I won't."

"Three, two, one –"

"Like hell –"

"– am I apologizing –"

"- to you!"

They glared at each other as Jasper's hearty laugh sounded from behind the trees. Harry pursed his lips in consternation. "Would that be all?" he asked.

"No," Alice said begrudgingly.

"Okay, what else?"

"Just – some observations we made. We wanted to – share it. With you," she said, nodding at Harry to follow her deeper into the forest. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes, following her. Jasper was a few meters in front of them, much to Harry's relief. Jasper seemed to have a good head on his shoulders and it was easy to trust him. _Alice on the other hand…_

"It's about Edward," she said.

"Oh?"

"Yes. You made him laugh."

Harry looked at the back of Alice's head and chuckled helplessly. "What?" he asked, his mind wrapping around the ridiculous statement.

"It's really quite hard to make him laugh. He's always been the moody one. Besides me, that is," Jasper commented.

"Oookay…" Harry said in confusion.

"So, obviously, he likes you."

Harry stumbled to a halt, laughing some more. "Alice, you're a piece of work," he said, shaking his head at her. She turned around, looking miffed.

"I'm serious," she said.

"Let me get this straight. He laughed at me, and so he likes me."

"No, you made him laugh, and so he likes you."

"Your mind games are thoroughly entertaining. Now I see why Edward didn't want me to – he didn't – um…"

"There you go."

"Okay, from now on, you are _not_ allowed to talk to me," Harry said, tilting his head in disbelief at Alice's overactive imagination.

"No, you see, we have it all figured out –"

"Not we. You," Jasper interjected.

"We, me, same difference. Anyways, Jacob is all hung up on Bella, so he can have her. Then we'll have to figure out some way to get rid of Draco, should be easy enough. Maybe set him on one of the dogs. Then Edward can profess his true feelings for you. Then you can live happily ever after."

"Again, her thoughts, not mine," Jasper added.

Harry gaped at Alice. "Jacob? Bella? Dogs? _Happily ever after_? What the _hell_?"

"I can see it all so clearly now," Alice said, twirling on her feet. "You and Edward walking down the aisle with –"

Harry gagged at the thought. Jasper was snickering behind his hands at Alice's dreamy expression.

"Please… stop talking… now," Harry said faintly, turning green.

"Yes, I suggest you leave while you still can," Jasper chuckled. Harry turned on his heels, walking away in a daze.

"I wasn't done talking to him…" he heard Alice say dejectedly. "He was done listening," he heard Jasper respond shakily.

He found himself in the front lobby when his mind finally focused. He clapped eyes on Edward, who was sitting on the stairs that led up to the second floor. He frowned at the vampire helplessly, confused giggles bursting out of him.

"I can't believe you let me go!" he said accusingly behind his laughs.

Edward shrugged. "She _can_ be persuasive."

"And off the rocker…"

"And that."

"Did you hear her plans?"

Edward cringed. "Unfortunately, before you even did."

"Just, remind me never to fall for that again," Harry said, shaking his head at the ludicrousness that was Alice. He walked into the kitchen to find Hermione. Edward stared after him, craning his neck to the side to watch Harry disappear into the large kitchen. The young vampire dropped his head in his hands, wanting to die of mortification. He was going to kill Alice and maim Jasper horrifically when they walked in through the door.

Harry walked into the kitchen to find Esme, Carlisle and Hermione talking. He sat on the barstool beside Hermione, his mind whirling. After a moment, Esme glanced up at Harry, smiling.

"How was your walk with Alice?" she asked.

Harry shook his head dumbly, staring at the tiled walls in amazement. "She's something else," he said.

Carlisle grinned. "She can be," he said.

Hermione laughed at Harry's wonderment. "He isn't easily shocked," she explained to Esme and Carlisle. She turned to Harry again. "Why? What happened?" she asked.

Harry sighed, propping his elbow on the counter and leaning his chin on his intertwined fingers. "Oh, nothing much. Except for the fact that she was twirling in the forest, dreaming about the day Edward married me."

Hermione sputtered, looking at Harry's nonchalant face. "Wh – what?" Esme had an equally shocked expression on her face. Carlisle frowned through his smile.

"Oh yes," Harry continued. "She has it all figured out. Jacob with Bella, Draco with – dogs? And Edward with me. It's so simple."

"Draco – w – with – dogs?"

"Don't ask me, I don't even know who Jacob is…" Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"Why would she – I mean, what is her –" Hermione stammered, frowning at Esme.

"He laughed," Esme said quietly. Harry stilled at her words, his smile slipping.

"What?"

"It's because he laughed," Carlisle said, looking at Harry curiously.

"Could you _please_ stop talking about me?" Edward asked pitifully from the foyer. Harry and Hermione raised their eyebrows at each other, then looked at Esme and Carlisle with wide eyes.

'He doesn't like me, does he?' Harry mouthed.

Hermione shook her head in confusion. Esme shrugged undecidedly. Carlisle nodded vigorously. And Edward groaned loudly. "And thinking about me?" he said. Esme and Carlisle laughed glancing at each other.

'He has a crush on you? Awkward,' Hermione mouthed. Harry blushed furiously.

-x-


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I am not J.K. Rowling. This story is merely my way of saluting her. I do not own any of these characters; I just manipulate their thoughts. And I'm not Stephenie Meyer either. I'm just borrowing her minions to do my bidding.

**A/N:** After the last chapter, I realized that I had _absolute_ control over _everything_ any of the characters do. Yes, I just realized that. I've never felt so powerful! So, watch and squirm as I exercise this dominance with reckless abandon! ^_^

-x-

Harry dragged himself to bed, falling beside Draco onto the white, ruffled sheets. He moaned as his aching body settled painfully. Draco shifted slightly at the disruption, frowning.

"Potter, shut up."

"Everything hurts," Harry groaned, rolling towards Draco.

"Not much I can do about it," Draco muttered drowsily, throwing a hand over Harry and pulling him in. Harry sighed into Draco's chest, his eyes closing without prompt.

"Want to hear something funny?" he asked Draco after a few minutes. Draco shook his head, kissing Harry's hair as he tried to fall back to his dreams. "You know Edward?" Harry continued.

"Yes, I know Edward."

"He has a crush on me."

"Yes, I knew that."

Harry smiled into Draco's shirt. "Of course you did."

"Want to hear something funny?" Draco asked. Harry smirked, nodding. "You know Edward?" he continued faintly.

"Yes, I know Edward."

"_You_ have a crush on him."

Harry opened his eyes slightly, running his tired fingers down Draco's side. "Do I, really?"

"Yes. Now let me sleep."

"But I want breakfast."

"Get it yourself."

"But I'm _so_ tired," Harry whined pathetically.

Draco pulled Harry into a lazy kiss. "Cookies?" he murmured into Harry's mouth.

"Esme's," Harry replied, wrapping his arms around Draco's neck.

Draco sighed resignedly. "Fine, what do you want?"

"Pancakes."

"Potter, you're so boring."

"And you love it."

Draco smiled, kissing Harry's cheek softly. "Yes, I do love it." He pulled away from Harry, struggling out of the covers and getting out of bed.

"Draco," Harry said slowly. Draco smoothed his bed hair and looked at Harry. "Do you love _me_?"

Draco laughed softly. He nodded, winking at Harry. Harry grinned. "Good," he said. The next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake. "What?" he grumbled, annoyed at the interruption.

"You demanded pancakes and now you don't want it?" Draco asked, shoving the tray of food onto Harry's lap. He climbed back into bed, poking Harry when he fell back asleep. "I thought you had your Pepper-Up potion," the blond said, holding the tray steady as Harry sat up.

"Well, it's awful at its job," Harry said, waking up to the fresh scent of syrup wafting around the room. He quickly worked on cutting through the fluffy pancakes, dipping it in generous amounts of syrup before eating it. Draco watched in revulsion.

"Do you _really_ need to soak it in?"

"Yes, I do."

Draco shuddered, falling back onto the pillow. His hand rested on Harry's thigh, absently massaging it. "So, what happened yesterday that made you so aware of Edward?" he asked. Harry sighed contently, swallowing the sugary bite.

"It was Alice. She decided she wanted to take a walk with me and tell me all of her theories."

"Enlighten me."

"It's a long story. If I fall asleep in the middle of it, don't bother waking me up," Harry said.

"Oh, I'll be waking you up," Draco replied, running his hand up Harry's shirt. Harry swatted it away.

"Anyways, that town is weird. First, it's the Cullens, and now there's the shapeshifters."

"Shapeshifters?"

"Yes. It is tribal thing. Some sort of gene that's expressed when vampires are around. When a vampire is deemed as a threat to the tribe, the members of this one lineage shapeshift into wolves to protect their families. These are the shapeshifters. Essentially vampires and shapeshifters are mortal enemies."

"That makes no sense."

"Well, because I'm probably not explaining it correctly. Talk to Hermione later, she'll tell you. So, there's this new character in our little drama, Jacob. He's a shapeshifter. And according to Emmett, he's in love with Bella."

Draco laughed incredulously.

"Oh, I'm not finished. He's been trying to have at Bella ever since she moved to Forks. Except the twist, of course, is Edward, who's blood lusting after her."

"Please, stop talking right now. I just figured out that you're delirious."

"No, I'm not!"

"What's blood lusting?"

"Exactly that. He wants to drink her."

Draco groaned. "I shouldn't have woken up…"

"Well, there's that little love triangle which Alice wants to break apart. It's all part of her master plan. Bella falls for Jacob and that leaves Edward for me. Happily ever after, she said."

"Where do I fit in?"

"Promise to Jelly-legs Jinx Alice?"

"Promise."

"She thinks you'll fall for one of the dogs."

"Oh god, what dogs?"

"That's what she calls the shapeshifters."

"She thinks I'm going to – ugh, dogs? What's _wrong_ with her?"

"Touched in the head."

"No kidding… What does Edward think of all this?"

"He's so embarrassed. He wouldn't even look at me after I figured out that what Alice told me was true."

"What, that I was going to fall for the dogs?"

"No, not that. That'd be weird… No, she told me that Edward likes me, _then_ she told me her master plan. In fact, even Carlisle and Esme said Edward likes me."

"If you weren't so oblivious, you'd have noticed. I mean, he serenaded you for heaven's sake."

"He did, didn't he? Apparently, all I had to do was make him laugh…"

"Do you _have_ to talk in riddles, Potter?"

"Yes," Harry smiled cheekily. "Jasper said that Edward never laughs, and since I made him laugh last night, he must like me. What do you think about that?"

"It's so convoluted. And typical. You always get yourself into these situations."

Harry nodded in defeat. "True. What makes you think I have a crush on him?"

"Potter, I see every single nuance about you. You can't hide anything from me…"

"Like an open book, huh? You're not jealous, are you?"

"I'll start getting jealous when he does this –" Draco kissed Harry's moist lips passionately.

"_If_ he does this," Harry breathed into Draco's mouth.

"Right, if," Draco murmured, pulling Harry down. The tray fell to the floor as Harry twisted to fall on top of Draco, kissing him soundly.

-x-

"Scratch that, I'm getting jealous already," Draco murmured into Harry's ear as they shuffled through the notes on the Cullen's dining table the next day. Shivers ran down Harry's spine as he felt Draco's warm breath in his ear. He shuffled away from Draco, giving him a warning glare. Draco smiled innocently, glancing up at Edward, who was leaning on the counter, watching them.

"Jealous of what?" Edward asked.

"The competition," Draco answered casually.

"Look, just forget about it, okay?" Harry muttered, flipping through papers vehemently.

"Yes, let's," Edward agreed, narrowing his eyes slightly at Draco.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll forget about it as soon as you two do," Draco said, holding his hands up in surrender.

Harry blushed fiercely while Edward managed to look as calm as the moon. "I'm working on it," Edward said casually, making Draco laugh.

"Good, because if it _were_ a competition, I'm pretty sure you'd win," Draco said, shaking his head at Harry's murderous look. Edward twitched his head slightly, glancing at Harry's stiff back.

"Would I?"

Harry groaned. "Now you guys are just torturing me," he said. "Can we get back to work?"

Draco nodded, returning to the pile he'd started. He didn't get too far because he was soon interrupted by Alice's cheery greeting.

"I said I don't want to talk to you," Harry grumbled.

"I wasn't going to talk to you anyway," Alice retorted, turning to Draco. Before she could open her mouth, Draco interjected.

"Oh, I don't want to talk to you either," he said, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Alice pouted, turning to Edward.

"I have no choice but to listen, Alice," her brother said tiredly, reading her thoughts. "Also, terrible idea," he said, nodding firmly.

"Well, they won't talk to me, so you talk for me," she said, folding her arms in front of her.

"What?" Draco asked as curiosity got the better of him.

"Nothing," Edward said quickly, grabbing Alice's arm and dragging her out of the room.

Alice huffed. "It's not nothing!" she said, pulling Edward forward. "I was wondering whether you guys would want to see the beach." Harry and Draco blinked at each other at the simple question.

"And your hidden agenda being?" Harry asked.

"So you can have a run in with the shapeshifters. _And_ we can't follow you there," Edward said.

"Because of the treaty?"

Edward nodded. Draco nudged Harry, wiggling his eyebrows. "What do you say? Never seen real live shapeshifters before. We'll call it – research," he said. "Research for the better protection of the citizens of Forks," he proclaimed officially.

"Hmm…" Harry said, tapping his chin in mock contemplation. "I think… not," he looked pointedly at Alice.

"Well, think about it. Someone's trying to kill us. The shapeshifters are our mortal enemies. Put two and two together, and you get killer shapeshifters." Alice grinned at her thought process.

"And they would attack you _now_ because…"

"Ask them? How would I know?"

Edward rolled his eyes at his sister, pulling her out of the room. Harry sighed, looking at Draco, who shrugged.

"She does have a point. So far we've only been looking for vampires who'd want them killed. Maybe it's time we looked past that and at other sources," Draco said quietly, biting his lip.

"I know. But there has to be a more civil way to do this than to just barge into their beach and demand to know their intentions," Harry replied, sitting on the chair.

"Let's talk to Carlisle, see if he can arrange something."

Sure enough, he did. He managed to talk with the tribal leaders to let the wizards and witches through the treaty line on Saturday morning. They were to meet Billy Black and Quil Ateara Senior, the elders of the tribal council. Ten in the morning found them in Billy's house, sipping strong tea and sitting on caved in couches. Quil and Billy were amiable enough, answering all the questions Hermione had about the origins of spirit warriors and shapeshifters.

"Ephraim Black was my descendent and he was the one who struck the treaty with Mr. Cullen. That was many years ago. And they still abide it, so we have no reason to attack them," Billy said, in a slow gravelly tone.

"You realize the gravity of this situation, don't you?" Draco asked gravely.

The two elders nodded as one. "Of course," Quil said. "You've made it quite clear."

"Why do you still shift if the Cullens are no threat?" Harry asked.

"It's a precautionary measure. Right now, our pack has eleven members. As a matter of fact, our sons are part of the pack too," Billy said. "As the number of vampires grow in the vicinity, more of us change."

"And when they leave?" Luna asked quietly.

"When they leave, we change back."

"Very interesting," Hermione said absently, scribbling in her notebook.

"What do you know about Dark Magic?" Draco asked casually. Harry hid his surprise behind his mug as he took a quick sip of his lukewarm tea.

Quil and Billy looked at Draco blankly, their eyebrows pulled together. "Er… I assume it's not something to be messed with," Billy said hesitantly. Draco nodded at him to continue. "Everything I know about the Dark is from legends. Demons, potions, and death. Not much else."

"Do Dementors ring a bell?" Draco asked. Harry watched the elders' expressions closely, disconcerted when he found nothing but surprise and vague curiosity. They were shaking their heads.

"Okay," Draco left it at that.

"Er… Aren't you going to tell us what they are?" Billy asked, frowning at Draco.

Luna answered. "They're Dark creatures. They suck out all your hopes and happiness, leaving you dry and sad when they're near you. If you are on the receiving end of the Dementor's Kiss, you will be left soulless. Terrible creatures. Did you know they sc –"

Harry cleared his throat, interrupting her when he saw looks of horror dawning on the elders' faces. Luna glanced at Harry dreamily. "What is it, Harry?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thought that we should be leaving now," he said quickly, getting up before Luna could scare away the hosts from their own tribe.

"Didn't you want to see the pack?" Quil asked as he got up from his chair.

"I didn't think we could…" Harry said slowly, looking at Hermione with questioning eyes.

"They wanted to meet you, actually," Billy said, walking the Aurors to the door. "I mean, who wouldn't. Being the wizards and witches that you are."

Draco chuckled. "Yes, we're quite the sensation, aren't we?" He earned a jab in the ribs for that from Harry.

Billy and Quil laughed as they stepped outside. "You _are_."

The Aurors stumbled to a halt at the sight of the towering men chatting on the front yard. They turned at the interruption, eyeing the Aurors curiously. Most of the men were over six feet tall and very well built. They moved with cat-like grace, their feet hardly making any noise on the leaves and grass. But the features that caught the Aurors' attention wasn't their size, but their normalcy – their complete opposition to the well-cultured Cullens. The men wore washed out t-shirts and jeans, not bothering to style their hair. They were playfully shoving at each other as they moved up to meet the guests. Their smiles were lazy but their eyes were twinkling with excitement. Some waved at the four Aurors while others nodded once. The tallest man stepped up the stairs, grinning widely.

"Hi, I'm Jake," he said. "This is my pack," he introduced the men on the grass.

"Jake… As in Jacob… As in B –" Draco earned another jab in the ribs. He glared at Harry. "What? I was just wondering," he exclaimed.

Jacob looked slightly confused. Harry quickly recovered from his mortification. "Hi Jake. I'm Harry, and these are Draco, Luna, and Hermione."

"And – um… You're protecting the Cullens?" Jacob tensed as he said the last word.

"Well, our job is to investigate the appearances of Dark Magic. Unfortunately, until our investigations are over, we'll have to stake out the Cullen house since that's where the attack started," Harry explained. Jacob nodded, silently.

"Is there anything we need to be worried about?" he asked.

"Not that we know of. Although, you know where we are, so if you have any concerns, feel free to contact us," Harry said.

"How long will you be in Forks?"

"As long as it takes," Harry said vaguely.

"Oh, please, have a seat," Jacob said, jerking his head with realization and waving his hand at the porch stairs. His pack nodded eagerly. Apparently they had questions. The Aurors complied, perching on the wooden steps and looking expectantly at the men.

"Where are you from?"

"London."

"Who do you work for?"

"Well, it's called the Ministry of Magic, which is really a British organization. But we're – highly trained for these missions. So, I guess we're sort of – international Aurors…"

"Aurors?"

"We're trained for these events."

"How long have you been here?"

"Let's see… today's the fifth day."

"What can you do?"

The Aurors looked at each other, shrugging. "I guess we can do pretty much anything," Luna replied distantly.

The pack looked unsatisfied with the answer, but pressed on with more questions.

"How long have you worked?"

"This will be our fourth year."

"You seem really young to be a highly trained."

"We've had – practice…"

"That means you age, right?"

"Yes… Wait, you don't?"

The pack shook their heads. "Well, we _can_ if we learn to suppress our gene. But until then, no," Jacob clarified.

"This is one bizarre town," Draco muttered. The pack laughed heartily, nodding in agreement.

The group turned at the sound of falling feet behind the house. It rounded towards the side quickly. "Sorry I'm late, she's so damn – oh, crap!" the boy smiled sheepishly as he slid to a halt in front of the house. He was the youngest of the group, the Aurors noted. He was also the most boyish, with his wide-toothed grin and awkward feet. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. Carry on," he said, trying to be officious. The pack chuckled at him and then turned back to the Aurors. But before they could continue, another set of racing feet sounded around the back of the house.

"Seth, I'm going to pummel you to the freakin' ground," a loud voice screeched. Seth yelped in terror, sprinting out of the yard. The Aurors watched in amusement as a girl rushed past the house, hot on the tail of the young boy. She dove gracefully, knocking the scrambling boy off his feet and they soared to the pavement. Harry flinched as Seth hit the ground with a thud. He glanced at Jacob, wondering whether he should intervene. Jacob winked and shook his head at Harry's silent question.

"That's Seth and Leah. They're the last two members of my pack. Siblings. Always seem to have trouble getting along," Jacob explained to the Aurors.

"Sounded like he broke something," Hermione said with concern.

"We can heal rapidly. He'll be fine in a second." And sure enough, Seth had managed to roll over and pin his sister to the ground as Jacob said the words. Leah snarled, kicking at Seth's stomach furiously. Seth flew off to the side, coughing as he tried to regain his breath. Leah scrambled up, grabbing Seth by the shirt and lifting him up slightly.

"Don't you _dare_ leave your damn laundry in _my_ room," she yelled into his face. Seth flinched, gasping for air. She let go of him, smoothing down her shirt and brushing the dirt off her hair and jeans. She scowled at her brother fiercely before turning to walk back into the yard. Seth followed sullenly, making faces behind his sister's back.

"I present to you, the Clearwaters," Jacob said, bowing his head in mock graciousness.

"Fuck," Leah breathed, staring at the Aurors.

"Real smooth, Leah," one of the shapeshifters said. A few rolled their eyes at the girl.

"No, I'm seriously fucked," Leah interrupted. Seth shrugged his shoulders, as confused as the rest of them. Leah stamped her foot, shouting into her hands. "This can't happen right now!"

"Leah, did you – but that's – you can't –" Jacob stuttered, swiftly getting up from the steps and walking up to the frustrated girl.

"Holy shit, Leah, you _imprinted_?" Seth said in disbelief, his mouth open and his eyes wide. The pack shifted as one, staring intently at Leah.

Jacob wrenched Leah's hands from her face. "Who?"

"That blond guy," she said, her eyes squeezed shut.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I am not J.K. Rowling. This story is merely my way of saluting her. I do not own any of these characters; I just manipulate their thoughts. And I'm not Stephenie Meyer either. I'm just borrowing her minions to do my bidding.

-x-

"Er... What?" Draco asked as the pack now turned to look at him.

"She imprinted on you," Jacob said wondrously.

"That doesn't sound good," Draco said, raising his eyebrows derisively.

"On the contrary!" Billy said excitedly. "It means that she found her soul mate."

"Draco's her – soul mate?" Hermione gulped.

Draco groaned. "That sounds even worse."

Harry was gaping at Leah with astonishment, a single thought running through his head. "Wait, Alice was right?"

"No!" Draco said emphatically. "I didn't fall for her."

"B - but she said - you - and the d - um... Leah. This can't be happening..." Harry stammered.

The pack seemed confused at the odd conversation. "Alice?" Seth asked. The Aurors ignored him as they tried to fit the pieces in their heads.

"If we're – fuck, we aren't soul mates. I don't even know her. You're not in - love with me, are you?" Draco asked tentatively.

Leah shuddered, glaring at Draco. "Ugh! No!"

Draco sighed with enormous relief. Jacob cleared his throat. "What she meant was, not yet..."

Harry and Draco groaned simultaneously, looking at each other helplessly.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked in shock.

"Well, it happens quite often in shapeshifters. When we imprint, we become - protective of our imprintee," Jacob explained. "We become whatever our imprintee wants us to be. They say it's like the whole world revolves around the person. It's a very momentous part of our lives. That's how most of us find our partners. In Leah's case, it's him."

"Partner?" Luna squeaked excitedly. The other three Aurors glared murderously at her.

"If she can be whoever I want her to be, then I can choose to have her be a - friend, right?" Draco asked hopefully.

Jacob frowned in confusion. "Yes, I suppose. But it's rather difficult to _not_ grow closer. I mean, she'll be fully committed to you. Almost all imprintees fall in love with their shapeshifters. I don't understand why -"

Leah interrupted with an irritated growl. "You don't even want me to be your friend," she said, glaring at Draco.

Draco frowned and shook his head at his confusion. "I - what?"

"I could be whoever you want me to be and you don't want me to be anything. And it fucking sucks!"

The crowd gaped at Draco and Leah. "Holy fuck, I'm confused," Draco said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Oh, it's quite simple, Draco," Luna said. "I don't think shapeshifters handle rejection very well. You have to think of Leah as your sister, or your friend, since you obviously can't take her to be your lover," Leah and Draco gagged at that, but Luna continued. "So just choose how you want to see her."

"Why can't he, you know... be her... boyfriend?" Seth grimaced as he said the words.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Because I'm already his boyfriend," he said, jerking his thumb at Harry. The pack looked at Harry's blushing face in disbelief.

Leah threw up her hands in defeat. "I'm a third wheel? My life sucks!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You guys are together?" one of the pack members asked.

"Yeah. See?" Draco pulled Harry into a sloppy kiss. Harry pushed Draco away, wiping his wet mouth with the back of his hand and bruising Draco's ribs.

"Sorry," Harry said, smiling wanly at Leah. The apology was met with silence. The Aurors and the pack stared at each other in disbelief.

"No one has ever imprinted like that..." Billy said in astonishment. "Leah's the only female shapeshifter that we know of. I don't know if – we don't know much about it."

"She can get over it, right? I mean, clearly, I'm not supposed to – because I'm already in love with Harry. She doesn't mean anything to me." Draco curt comment was met with a strangled gasp from Leah, who was now shooting daggers at both Harry and Draco. Seth growled at Draco, which caused Leah to growl at Seth. The pack was now murmuring, their stance changing slightly to a more defensive slouch. The Aurors moved to take out their wands, worried at the sudden change in demeanor of the pack.

"Okay, everybody remain calm. No one's dying," Jacob said loudly over the chaos. The chatter died down slowly. "One step at a time. Draco, Leah's your friend. Leah, Draco's your friend. Now just, um, say hi. That's a start."

Draco and Leah rolled their eyes in unison. "Fine. Hi," they said to each other.

"See, that wasn't so hard," Jacob said, grinning helplessly.

"Oh, Harry," Luna said sympathetically. "You don't stand a chance."

Harry hung his head, covering his flushed face with his hands. Draco smacked Luna on the head, scowling fiercely. He wrapped his arm around Harry's hip reassuringly.

"This is _so_ embarrassing," Harry muttered into his palms.

"Tell me about it," Draco replied, massaging his aching temples.

-x-

"_What?_" Alice squealed. Harry had to dig his nails into his hand to stop from pulling out his wand and hexing her into oblivion. The Cullens looked shocked at the new developments, some staring at Alice and the others staring at Harry and Draco.

"B – But Alice can't see the future of shapeshifters," Edward said weakly. He could feel Harry's confusion and anger, so he kept glancing at the wizard, marveling at the calm demeanor that was displayed.

"I can't," she said, apparently in awe of herself. "I mean – I was just being silly."

"And right," Hermione added.

"So, this dog – he's – is he your _partner_?" Rosalie asked in disgust.

"_She_ is not my partner, because _he_ already is," Draco said tersely, looking at Harry for support. Harry merely shrugged.

"I don't understand," Carlisle said.

"Leah is my – friend? I think?" Draco answered.

"But Jacob said that they'll soon be more than that, when they get to know each other. Being soul mates and all, they're pretty much meant for each other," Luna clarified.

Edward and Jasper flinched at the wave of emotions that flooded them from Harry. All Harry did outwardly was pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Anyway," he said loudly, "the shapeshifters don't know anything about the Dark Magic. So we'll have to start looking into the Wizarding world."

-x-

Harry sighed in defeat once he Apparated into his home aside Draco. "Well, that certainly ruined my life," Harry moaned dramatically, pulling Draco into a slow kiss. He poured out all his emotions into Draco's soft lips. Draco reciprocated, crushing Harry to his chest.

"It did, didn't it?" Draco muttered, pulling away from Harry's mouth after a minute. He ran his fingers down Harry's cheek, staring into the bright green eyes. "I don't think it'll happen, Harry."

"Really?" Harry asked. "Because you're soul mates," he informed Draco blandly.

"I thought you were my soul mate," Draco said.

"We thought wrong…"

"It's _my_ choice who I want to love and I want to love you. Not Leah. You," Draco said firmly.

"What about her choice?" Harry asked, dropping his head on Draco's shoulder.

"Fuck chivalry. I'm more worried about you than her, Harry."

Harry scoffed. "No need to worry about me. I can get myself out of sticky situations," he said.

"Yeah, you nearly died that time," Draco said, rolling his eyes.

"Keyword being nearly."

"No, Harry, keyword being died."

"Priorities…"

"Evidently, yours are messed. Heck, you're putting Leah before yourself. Haven't I taught you anything?"

"Thank goodness you haven't," Harry smirked, kissing Draco strongly. "You know I won't blame you if anything happens, right?"

"That's fine, I'll just blame myself for you. Fucking chivalry."

-x-

"How're you handling it?" Edward asked.

"I'm fine," Harry said tiredly.

"You don't seem fine."

"Look, it's just a lot to handle. But whatever happens, happens," he snapped.

"Sorry."

Harry sighed, taking a calming breath. "After all I've been through, this doesn't really surprise me. I can work with whatever comes out of it."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"So, you really think Draco's her soul mate?"

"He may very well be."

"Does he think so?"

"No."

Edward made a noise of frustration. "You have _no_ idea how exasperating it is not being able to read you. I mean, you're worse than Bella! You say one thing and I feel something else!" Harry didn't bother responding. Edward tried again. "So wh – if she falls in love with Draco, you would…"

Harry shrugged. "If he feels the same way about her, there isn't much I _can_ do, is there?"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you enjoyed tormenting yourself." Harry glared at Edward, pursing his lips into a grim line. "Don't worry. I do know you better. You'd rather torment yourself than let Draco – or Leah be tormented. Am I right?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not a push over."

"Never said you were."

-x-

Draco and Leah sat on opposite ends of the couches, eyeing each other with slight displeasure and an insurmountable amount of curiosity. Draco started. "How old are you?"

Leah huffed indignantly. "It's not polite to ask a woman her age."

Draco scoffed. "Why the secrecy?"

"I'm twenty."

"Seth's your only brother?"

"Yes."

"When did you shift?"

"Less than a year ago."

"Can I see?"

"No."

They lapsed into silence. Harry watched the awkward conversation with slight amusement. He was seated on the futon by the books, pretending to read a particularly large one. Edward smiled with him, staring at Draco and Leah with no hidden pretense. Draco had insisted that he not be left alone with the 'devil reincarnate'. Leah appeared equally grateful. The last couple of times they'd met hadn't ended well. Leah's urge to protect was battling against the indecision of her emotions towards Draco. He had yet to decide who she was to him. So Leah's mood swings were abrupt, almost always mirroring Draco's mood. Harry noticed the vague similarities between Leah and Draco, and Edward and Bella – the same unconscious way they moved in synchronization and the way they behaved when around each other. Harry was envious, but he tried not to show it. This imprint magic – which is what he decided to call it – was raw and primeval. The connection, however weak, was still present. There was nothing Harry could do to negate it. So he gave up fighting against it and was now taking in as much of Draco as he could before the seemingly inevitable separation. According to Hermione, however, this separation may not happen for a good five years, seeing the way Leah and Draco were acting towards each other. _I can live with five years_, Harry thought sullenly, desperation gripping him as it often did when he thought about Draco and Leah. Edward flicked his eyes at Harry before returning to look at the two awkward people on the couch.

Leah started up the next bout of questions. "How old are you?"

"I thought it wasn't polite to ask questions about age…"

"Fine, I'll take that to meaning you're too old for me. You look it, anyway."

This time it was Draco's turn to huff indignantly. He patted his impeccable hair, trying to see if there was a strand that had come loose that had aged him ten years. He frowned at her. "I'm twenty-one."

"Hmm…"

Draco scowled at her casual tone, glancing at Edward and Harry's smiling faces. His frown deepened at their amusement. Leah noticed Draco's pulled brows and turned to face the smiling duo, a frown matching Draco's. Now Harry and Edward were grinning at the expressions.

"I said you could sit in. Not listen," Draco grumbled. Harry tried to wipe his grin off his face, but Edward answered.

"We find it quite thrilling to listen to your conversations. Such exciting topics," the vampire said, his golden eyes shining.

"Dick," Draco and Leah muttered under their breaths.

That was all it took to get Harry laughing. His hilarity washed over to Edward, causing him to chuckle handsomely.

-x-

"So, what do you think of her?" Draco asked Harry over dinner.

"She's – blunt. Like you, I suppose."

"Yeah, she is, isn't she? She gets on my nerves."

"I'm really glad you are seeing her, Draco. I mean, she looked awful last week after you went away to Ireland."

Emotional and physical separation was always hard on shapeshifters when it came to imprintees. With Draco's spontaneous trip away from Forks, Leah had been less herself.

"I just – I mean, I can't tie myself down to her," Draco said, waving his fork in the air in frustration.

"I know that, Draco. She doesn't want to feel the way she feels either. It's harder for her than for you, you know that right?"

"Of course I know that. She damn near bowled me over when I visited her. Thought I'd broken a rib."

Harry smiled sadly into his cup.

-x-

"Just shut your fucking mouth, Draco," Leah muttered tiredly.

"What? I'm just saying – "

"I don't want to hear it."

Draco folded his arms in front of him, pursing his lips. "Fine, tell me why."

"Obviously because wolves trump pretty boys any day of the week."

"What do you mean, obviously? They're fucking vampires. They have – _everything _going for them! All _you_ have is fur and claws. What are you going to do, cuddle them to death?"

"I'll show you fur and claws…"

-x-

"You alright, Malfoy?" Harry asked. Draco had been mum since he entered the study, an unusual feat. He mumbled incoherently, causing Harry to look up. Harry frowned at Draco's dazed eyes. "Draco, what is it?"

"Leah – she – she shifted in front of me," Draco said softly, sitting down on the chair opposite to Harry.

"Oh?" Harry said, unsure.

"Yeah. To prove her point…"

"Um…"

"She was – you should have seen her. It was – unbelievable."

-x-

Harry and Leah stood on the porch in uncomfortable silence.

"How was your day?" Leah asked politely.

"Good," Harry replied, staring at his shoes.

"Good," Leah responded. Some more silence followed.

"Why haven't you broken up with him yet?" she asked quickly, shuffling her feet in embarrassment.

Harry gaped at her question, his stomach dropping. "Wh – why would I?" he asked.

"So he won't have to."

Chills ran down Harry's spine. "Are you – Leah, have you –"

"I don't know, Harry," Leah finally looked up at Harry, her eyes shining with clarity. "I don't even know him…"

-x-

"How long have you two been together?" Leah asked, plucking at a blade of grass.

Draco shrugged. "I don't know, two years…"

"Why do you love him?"

Draco looked up at Leah's curious eyes thoughtfully. He shrugged again. "I've known him since I was eleven. Ten years later, I still know him. It's nice having that," he said.

"Did you ask him out?" Leah asked, grinning slyly.

Draco guffawed. "Yeah, right. Can you imagine me asking him out?"

"Well, yeah."

"Don't let his calm demeanor fool you. Potter can be very persistent."

"Why do you call him that?"

"Rolls off the tongue, don't you think?"

"Potter… Harry… Potter… Do you think he'd mind if I started calling him Potter?"

Draco tilted his head at the question. "I'd mind," he said softly.

Leah twitched with awareness. "Harry it is, then."

-x-

Harry was having one of those days – where he felt so sorry for himself that he let it show too easily. He was sulking by himself by the piano, striking random notes with fervor.

"If you're going to use the piano, please play something. I can't stand the pandemonium coming out of it," Edward said, walking into the room.

Harry stopped his insistent hammering, blushing at his tantrum. It made it even worse that Edward could feel his internal turmoil. Thankfully, Edward had the courtesy to not point it out.

"I could teach you," Edward said, sliding onto the bench with Harry.

"I already know how to play."

"Yeah, you know how to play _Twinkle, twinkle_. Hardly a repertoire worth bragging about," Edward muttered.

"Besides, I don't have the time or the patience."

"You can make time. And the patience… I think you have more of than you think. Why else would you possibly put up with Leah and Draco?"

-x-

"Draco…"

Draco opened his eyes lazily, stroking Harry's thick hair with one hand and running his fingers down Harry's side with his other. He liked the reactions he elicited; the small quivers and twitches Harry's body exhibited at his touch. "Hmm?" he asked quietly.

Harry shifted slightly, moving his head to rest on Draco's chest and wrapping his arms around the slender waist. "Should we break up?" Harry asked hoarsely.

"What?" Draco asked, sitting up and wrenching Harry away from him. He held Harry at an arm's length, staring at him incredulously. "Why?" he asked in disbelief.

"Because of Leah."

"She – what does she – I mean, I love you. Of course we shouldn't break up. Why would you –" Draco was at a loss for words.

"If we do it now, it won't be as bad," Harry said, not daring to look into Draco's eyes.

"You aren't hearing me, Potter. _I don't want to break up with you_."

"… yet."

"Harry, stop being such a girl."

That caused Harry to look up and glare at Draco. "Leah is falling in love, Draco."

Draco let go of Harry, his eyes wide with confusion. He gripped the bed sheets with vigor. "No, she's not. She won't. She can't."

"She – she can, if you are."

Draco clenched his eyes shut. "I'm not."

"It's okay if you are. I mean, we've – maybe what we have… maybe it's nothing."

"You don't mean that."

"Okay, I don't mean that. But what you have with Leah, it's different. Maybe I'm just in the way." Harry lay back down, staring up at the white ceiling. Draco groaned helplessly and caught Harry's lips in a desperate kiss.

"Don't say that," Draco muttered, running his fingers down Harry's cheeks. He pulled away slightly, letting his lips glide over Harry's as he spoke. "She's in the way, not you."

Harry sighed into Draco, wrapping his strong arms around Draco's back and pulling him down.

-x-

**A/N:** Hmm… Didn't really like this chapter. Hopefully it gets better.


	8. Chapter 8

**Brap...**

**I don't know what this is. I'm just throwing stuff out there because I really need to figure out where I am going with this story. So... yeah. Nothing really happens in this chapter.**

* * *

"Who are the Volutri?"

The Cullens froze. When the Cullens freeze, it was eerie to stand witness because they go all the way. No movement, just stillness. Harry flicked his eyes at Hermione apprehensively. They were in the dining room, the designated meeting area for the Aurors and vampires. The walls were adorned with maps and photos. The table was draped with parchment. And now, the room was filled with statues. Harry cleared his throat, hoping to unfreeze the coven. Carlisle blinked.

"It's not the Volturi," he said.

"I never said it was," Harry said. "I was just wondering."

The Cullens visibly relaxed at Harry's assurance, watching Carlisle cautiously. "The Volturi enforces the law in the vampire world," Carlisle said.

"They're the governing body of vampires?" Hermione asked.

"I suppose. All they do is make sure the vampire world is safe and hidden. They're the largest coven. They've been around for three thousand years. They live in Italy."

"You find no reason to suspect them?" Draco asked, studying Carlisle's expression.

"I don't believe so. They've approached me about joining the coven. As in, they want my coven to join theirs. But they are not… vegetarians. I can't join them for moral reasons," Carlisle explained.

"They aren't miffed that you refused?"

"I'm sure they are slightly displeased. But to think they'd go to such drastic measures is beyond belief. No, I find no reason to suspect them," Carlisle said firmly.

"Unless they found out about Bella…" Edward said faintly. Now the coven turned to face him, looking as stricken as him.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"If-if they found out about her, th–they'll want to turn her. I-I have to go," and with that Edward blurred, disappearing out the door.

"I don't understand," Harry said, frowning at Carlisle.

"Humans aren't supposed to find out about us. If the Volturi found out about Bella, they'd either want to turn her or-But that doesn't make any sense. Why would they send Dementors to kill _us_?"

"Maybe they never planned to kill you. Just incapacitate," Draco murmured, rifling through his notes.

"They don't need Dementors to incapacitate us. They are strong and their powers are immense. No, I truly don't believe the Volturi would go out of their way for this."

"What about someone _from_ the Volturi? Could they be doing this without the knowledge of others?" Harry asked, now noting the agitation amongst the coven. _I should probably have approached this in a better way_, he thought. Now the Cullens were conversing amongst themselves with rapid flutter of lips and almost no sound. The Aurors waited anxiously for any leads they might come up with.

"Perhaps," Carlisle said distantly, not elaborating further.

* * *

Edward was on the lawn, staring up at the dark clouds. "You alright?" Harry asked, approaching the vampire. Edward didn't deign to answer. "Want to tell me what happened?" Harry prodded.

"The Volturi is going to want to kill Bella. Either that or turn her."

"Kill?"

"I'm such an idiot," Edward said, his jaw clicking as he gritted his teeth.

"You think the Volturi would send Dementors?"

"No," Edward sighed. "But when they find out…"

"Only two choices?"

"I don't want to choose either for her," Edward confessed.

"What does she choose?" Harry asked.

"Both choices are the wrong choices."

"So she wants to be turned," Harry inferred.

Edward tugged his hair in frustration. "She thinks it is a fairy tale. She thinks it is a romantic notion. But I know the truth. No matter how many times-" he broke off, trying to calm himself.

"You know there's another way, don't you?" Harry asked.

"Other than fight them off?" Edward asked, turning to Harry..

"You can make her forget."

Edward blinked at Harry. "Sorry?" he asked.

"When we were being hunted by the Dark army, Hermione Obliviated her parents and moved them to Australia. That way they had no ties to her and they could be safe."

"Oh my goodness," Edward breathed in horror.

"It is possible to restore the memory, Edward. If you want, until everything is sorted out, we can change her memory. Keep her safe," Harry offered.

"I can't do that!"

"Of course not. You have to ask her first. This will be over before you know it. We restore her memory once you have sorted everything out with the Volturi."

"But how long?"

"Until she is safe," Harry said.

"I just-I don't want anything to happen to her because of me. I'm supposed to be protecting her, not hurting her," Edward murmured.

"Protecting her can cause more harm than good," Harry said. Edward looked up in awareness but didn't question further.

* * *

"What are you so preoccupied about?" Draco asked, affronted by Harry's lack of enthusiasm in bed.

"What do you think?" Harry asked, piquing a brow. "Sorry."

Draco huffed, pouting childishly. "You're so mean," he grumbled, turning away from Harry.

Harry chuckled to himself as he hugged Draco close. "Love you," he whispered.

"Fuck off."

* * *

"Have a talk with her," Harry murmured as Edward exited the car.

"I don't even know how to begin," Edward said nervously.

"Start with talking about us. Aurors, I mean. If we are going to Obliviate her, she needs to know who we are and what we are doing. And… go on from there."

"You make it sound so simple," Edward said in sarcasm.

"Easier said than done, right?" Harry smiled sympathetically.

"Hmm," Edward murmured with a shrug. "I'll see you later, then."

* * *

"Bella thinks I'm crazy," Edward sighed, looking at Carlisle for advice.

"Why?" Carlisle asked.

"She won't believe me. She thinks I'm making things up to get rid of her. I don't know… I don't know what to do," Edward said.

"Maybe if she meets them…"

"I don't know if that's such a great idea," Edward mumbled, shaking his head quickly.

"Probably not. But it's for her sake, isn't it?" Carlisle asked. Edward didn't deign to answer. "Talk to Hermione. She will know what to do," Carlisle added.

Edward nodded, walking out of the kitchen. All he could think about was Bella's distrusting expression as he had explained to her the situation. She had adamantly refused to hear him out. She had gone on a teary rampage about how she knew he didn't care for her as much as she did for him. Edward wondered if she realized that he loved her more than what was being reciprocated.

He didn't even hear Harry's footsteps as he rounded the corner.

Harry knocked into Edward head-on, which was not unlike walking into a wall. He gasped in pain as Edward reached out to hold him steady.

Edward was assaulted with thoughts.

Thoughts he had never heard the likes of.

_Bloody hell, that hurt. Oh, Edward… Did he talk to Bella? I should probably talk to Draco too. Luna hasn't given me that run down. Talk to Robards and… Start with finding contacts s-Draco didn't even-links from some other ca-Italy and try to… What's he looking at me like that for?_

"You should probably slow down," Edward offered with a slight smile. What he had heard was a second of Harry's racing thoughts overlapping each other to make a jumbled mess he couldn't decipher very well.

"Huh?" Harry asked in confusion. _Slow what down? Maybe Theo can figure out wh-how far back would records of atta-patch things up with… Haven't talked to Ron in-permission to Obliv-Slow what down?_

"Slow down," Edward said deliberately.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, frowning. _Why won't he let go? Maybe Draco is… Carlisle might want to-Dementor counts are so low and-need to try to contact-meet with Robards and liaisons-Teddy's birthday party… Need to make it to that-Let go, Edward…_

Edward let go of Harry. "Slow down here," he pressed the tip of his finger to Harry's racing heart, "and slow down here," he touched the side of Harry's temple, "and see if you get more work done, okay?"

"Shit," Harry swore, his mind shutting away in an instant. "I… I… I…"

"It's fine," Edward smiled, sidestepping Harry and moving out of the foyer.

_Edward?_

"Hmm?" Edward answered, turning around.

"I… didn't say anything," Harry murmured, staring at Edward.

With a wink and a grin, Edward said, "Must have thought it, then," before walking away.

Harry blushed in mortification, ducking his head.

* * *

"Harry. You awake?" Draco whispered, pressing a hand on Harry's arm. Harry didn't answer, keeping his eyes closed and his breath even. He had been awake for hours, waiting for Draco. He turned around and pressed close to his boyfriend, sighing.

Draco kissed Harry's forehead lovingly. "That's okay. You can sleep. I'll talk," he murmured. Harry smiled against Draco's shirt. "Mother has been wondering about you. Can we go visit her sometime?"

"Hmm," Harry hummed.

"And… I hope you aren't stressing out about this job," Draco worried. "If you are, just let me know, yeah? Contrary to popular belief, we can work without you too if you want to take some time off."

"Mhm."

"Goodnight."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** So... I know I'll get a lot of you kind of riled up with this chapter. But it's the only way I could figure this out.

* * *

Harry and Edward were watching from the second floor window of the vampire's room. Leah was pointing and laughing at Draco while the latter seemed to be reenacting a particularly hilarious scene. Harry smiled vaguely, arms crossed against his chest. Edward flicked his eyes from Draco to Harry, wishing he could read them both.

"It's nice," Harry sighed, glancing at Edward.

"What is?" Edward asked.

"Seeing Draco laugh like that. It doesn't happen often. He isn't all that good with people," Harry explained.

"Oh."

"I'm glad," Harry murmured, moving his gaze back to Leah and Draco.

_He is so good to me and I-starting with a laugh so-Leah seems so much hap-have I ever made him th-talk about? He has a wonderful laugh…_

Edward didn't realize how close he was to Harry until he heard the silence. He was inches behind. He could hear each rippling heartbeat as clear as the soft piano notes echoing out of the speakers in the room. He could imagine each breath falling onto the window in front of them. His gaze trailed down to the nape of Harry's neck. Touchable. Untouchable.

Harry gasped when he felt fingers trail down the side of his neck. He whipped around in shock, backing up against the windowpane.

Edward's fingers stayed on Harry's warm flesh, marveling at the warmth. He stepped imperceptibly closer.

Harry's mind flew open.

_Please, stop. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, st-_

Edward felt his head spin with inconceivable feelings. He wanted to gaze at Harry's terrified eyes for as long as he could. He wanted his fingers to linger against the skin that fluttered alive and blushed at the slightest touch. He wanted Harry more than anything.

Why?

Edward blinked.

Harry's words were filling his mind, intoxicating him.

_Don't… don't look at me like that. I can't-I can't do anything for you. Please, stop th-Draco needs to-can't think of-don't hurt-stop, stop, stop, stop…_

Edward feathered his lips over Harry's.

Harry dropped to the floor, gasping for air. His body started shaking without warning. He didn't even have the sense to get his wand out. He was consumed by his emotions. He pressed his hand to his mouth, stifling his sobs.

Edward watched all this with horror. Had he done something this terrible? He knelt down next to Harry, trying to get him to look up. "I-I'm sorry," Edward whispered. "I don't know what-why…"

_I'm going to lose him. I don't want to lose him. Help me! HELP ME!_

Edward was startled by the violent scream that was silent to the outside world but storming inside this man. Harry pressed his hands to his ears, biting his lip to keep away his tears. "Wh-what's wrong?" Edward asked.

_I can't tell him. I can't ever tell him. He will hate m-needs to know th-alone for-lying to Dr-what to do… I don't know what to do. Help me… Please._

"With what? Tell me what you need help with. I can't… You're too jumbled. I can't, Harry," Edward said desperately.

_-selfish of me to-keeping him from-afraid of wh-can't think and can't-forever. I wish I could keep him forever._

"Is this about Leah?" Edward asked desperately. "You shouldn't worry about that. You know Draco would never-"

_Draco would never leave me. Death works differently._

"What?" Edward asked, horrified. "Who is dying?"

Harry pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. "I can't," he whispered.

Edward blinked at Harry. "You can't what?" he asked slowly.

"Die. I can't."

Edward was struck dumb.

"I'm so scared," Harry sobbed.

"You can't die?"

"I'll be alone. I'll be alone and I… I don't-I don't know what to do. Everyone I know will die and I'll be left behind. I don't-I don't want to lose everyone. I don't want to lose everyone I know."

"You-you said you can't… you said you can't be immortal," Edward breathed.

"I haven't aged. Not since… I haven't changed. My hair, my nails, nothing. Nothing's changed," Harry cried. "I've-I-I've been trying so hard not to… not to think. But… Draco will move on. Ron will move on. Hermione will move on. I'll stay right here. I'll stay… alone. I can't take it anymore."

"You're not alone," Edward interrupted, stopping Harry's rambling. "Of course you aren't alone! Tell them! Please, don't… don't keep it in. It's hurting you, don't you see?"

"What will they do when they know?" Harry challenged, wiping his tears against his sleeves. "They'll… they'll try to find ways to make me older. They'll-they'll cry and be angry. They'll-they-they can't do anything."

"I'm immortal too."

"I know," Harry sniffed.

"No, you don't understand," Edward said gently. "You aren't alone." Harry inhaled shakily, not answering. "Please, tell them? Tell them and… figure your life out."

* * *

It had taken Harry nearly a year to notice. With the end of the Second War came a torrent of interviews and trials. With the trials came Draco. With Draco came training. Amidst all of that, Harry hardly noticed.

Harry couldn't remember exactly when he realized that something was wrong. Maybe it was a gradual recognition. He had gazed at himself in the mirror one morning, trying to pat his hair down. He had run his finger through his black mane when it suddenly struck him that he hadn't cut it in months. He had dismissed that thought out of his head quite easily. His hair had a way of doing weird things.

But once that thought had implanted itself in Harry, it was hard to get rid of it.

Over the course of training, Harry saw the physique of his colleagues changing. But he stayed as he was. They dubbed him Little Harry because of his petite size. Harry had swallowed down his apprehension, trying to will his body to build muscle mass. But try as he might, he wasn't able to change his body. As though stuck a lean and slightly muscled seventeen year old, he stayed. He started to wonder if anyone would notice. No one did. Not even Draco.

Four years later, he had all but squashed the idea out of his head. But meeting the Cullens reignited the grappling fear and morbid ideas. The family was immortal. Immortal? Was that even possible? What did it mean?

Learning more about their way of life had opened Harry's eyes. The creatures did not age. They did not change. Was he much different? If not, then… then what?

Leah was thrown into Harry's life at that point. Draco became the focus of Harry's thoughts. What was he doing with that man? Why was he lying to Draco? And when he realized that Draco was about to move on without him, Harry didn't want to let go. Never. He wanted to keep Draco forever.

Forever.

Their forevers were so different…

Draco plopped down on the couch with a loud groan. "I'm pooped," he sighed, resting his head on Harry's lap and bringing his legs up onto the couch.

Harry pushed Draco off gently, his hands shaking and tears pooling in his eyes. "I… I need to talk to you," he said hoarsely.

Draco sat up quickly, hearing the tears in Harry's voice. "What's wrong?" he asked, panicking as he brought Harry's face up to his level.

Harry pulled away, holding his arms out to stop Draco from advancing. "Just… let me talk, okay?"

"You're scaring me," Draco said helplessly, trying to push Harry's arms down and move closer.

"Stop," Harry said, his voice cracking.

"Don't-"

"Stop, Draco," Harry said again, clenching his hands into fists. "Listen to me, for God's sake." Draco kept silent, staying still. Harry took a breath to push away his terror. "Today… something happened today."

"What?" Draco prompted quickly.

"Ed-Edward kissed me," Harry stammered.

Draco's jaw dropped. "He… what?"

"He kissed me," Harry said again.

Draco laughed incredulously. "You're _crying_ because of that? What the hell, Potter?" he exclaimed. "You scared the f-"

"I'm not done," Harry interjected.

Draco's grin faded away into uncertainty. "There's… more?" he asked. "D-did you… kiss him back?"

Harry closed his eyes in frustration. "No. Of course not," he said thickly. "I… It-it scared me, Draco. It scared me so much and I-"

"I'm not angry, Harry. It's not your fault," Draco said.

"LISTEN TO ME!" Harry shouted, getting up onto his feet and tears streaming down his face. Draco paled considerably, shocked. "Li-listen to me," Harry begged. "Please." Draco didn't say anything. "That scared me. He scared me and I… everything became real. You and me and everything. I've been lying to you. For so long… I've been lying to you for so long."

"Please, Harry. I don't... I don't know what-please, stop crying?" Draco pleaded, getting up and pressing his hands to Harry's cheeks. "What did you do?"

"Don't hate me," Harry whispered.

"Don't say that," Draco whispered back, tears pricking his own eyes.

"I-I haven't-I haven't aged in four years," Harry said, keeping his eyes closed because he couldn't bear to look at Draco. He nearly cried out in pain when Draco's touch left him abruptly. "I… I haven't changed since the war. I haven't… I haven't grown. Not my hair, not my body, not anything. I… I won't ever change."

"What?"

"The Hallows… I-it-immortality."

Draco watched Harry shatter before his very eyes. "No," he breathed, catching Harry before he fell.

"Everyone will leave me and I don't want to be alone. Don't leave me," Harry wept. "I love you, Draco. So much. Forever. But I can't… I can't keep you. I wish I could keep you. I wish I could die with you."

"Oh, God," Draco exhaled, hugging Harry close. "Stop. Stop, Harry."

"I can't. I can't stop," Harry said thickly. "I can't stop thinking. I can't stop crying. I can't stop. I can't stop loving you. But I need to. Don't you see? I can't have you. And Leah… makes you so hap-"

"Stop, please," Draco sobbed. "Don't say these things."

"I love you so much."

* * *

Hermione shook her head, disagreeing with nearly everything Harry was telling her. "It's impossible, Harry. There is no way. Of course you have changed! How else does memory form? How else do you learn? Immortality is impo-"

"Nothing's impossible," Harry interrupted. "You, of all people, know that."

"Then tell me _how_. _How_ are you not changing?" Hermione asked.

"The Hallows conquer Death," Harry said simply.

"It's a fairy tale, Harry! Just a myth."

"And the Invisibility Cloak is a figment of my imagination?" Harry asked.

"You get hurt, Harry. You can die just as easily as I can," Hermione argued.

"But I can't age like you. I can't grow old. I've tried," Harry insisted. "I've tried to change. I've tried to… gain weight and lost weight and cut my hair and-and everything. Nothing works. It's like I'm… stuck in time."

"Without anyone noticing?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"No one's noticed…"

She kept shaking her head, discrediting everything Harry was telling her. "We'll run tests and… go from there," she said. "No more of your crazy theories. Get it out of your head."

* * *

Draco ran his hand down Harry's chest delicately. "How long were you planning on hiding it?" he asked.

Harry winced, keeping his eyes shut away. "I-I don't know. I didn't know what to think. I didn't think it was real," he whispered.

Draco wondered why he had never noticed. He wondered why he had never noticed Harry looking very much like a boy than a man. He wondered why he had never noticed the turmoil inside Harry's mind. He wondered why he had never noticed the fact that Harry stayed the same. Was this a blessing or a curse? He kissed the soft lips under him, his stomach fluttering when he felt the yearning response. "What do we do now?" Draco asked.

Harry's breath hitched as he heard the question. What do they do now? "Let's stop," he murmured.

Draco gazed down at Harry's fanned lashes and trembling lips. "Break up, you mean?" he asked.

"Mhm," Harry mumbled.

"Not planning on loving me when I'm wrinkled and gray?"

Harry laughed tearfully, hugging Draco. "No. I couldn't possibly love you when you're old, fat and ugly," he said.

"Pity," Draco said haltingly, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I couldn't possibly…"

* * *

He hadn't been back on the job for a few weeks now, in and out of the Ministry hospital with tests and experiments.

To say that it was wearing on Harry would be an understatement.

Draco was jostled out of his sleep for what seemed like the tenth time in a span of five hours. He struggled to open his eyes, watching blearily as Harry slid out from under the covers quietly and padded out the room.

"Harry," he whined.

"Sleep," Harry chuckled, glancing back and waving Draco down. He closed the door to the room before making his way to the couch. He knew he was giving Draco no reprieve with his constant tossing and turning. The man deserved a full night's rest. Harry plopped down on the cushions, wincing as his aching body jerked in displeasure. He was made to drink potion after potion after each meal and some of them weren't agreeing with him, causing insomnia and nausea. He wondered sardonically if the medicine would finally manage to kill him off. He shook the morbid thoughts out of his head and laid back, trying to catch a few winks before the sun managed to rise.

He wondered what life would be like… He couldn't even begin to imagine. Everyone would age and he would stay the same. A freak. He slid his hands to his chest, feeling his tired heart. He just wished it would give up. Brushing away his tear, he fell into fitful sleep.

It wasn't long before he woke up. He glanced down to find Draco pressed close to him, squishing him against the back of the couch. He smiled fondly, hugging his love close. "Hi," he whispered.

"Mhm," Draco mumbled, stroking Harry's chest. "Sleep."

* * *

"Do you understand?" Draco asked, looking at Leah hopefully.

She flicked her eyes away, thinking. "So… he doesn't age," she deliberated.

"And it's not like with you guys. Because in our world, we _do_ age. All of us. So he… if he's the only one who can't die, he'll be…"

"Alone," Leah finished.

Draco nodded, pushing the lump out of his throat. "We're going to fix him, though," he promised her. But he was saying this more for himself. "He'll be okay."

"Why does it matter?" Leah asked. "No one wants to die, Draco."

Draco sat back with a sorrowful expression. "Harry doesn't mind dying. He minds being alone, though. He hates being alone…"

* * *

His magic started wavering a little due to the experimental procedures. It was small at first, flutters and spurts of power rushing out of him. But in a matter of days, he couldn't perform even the smallest tasks like summoning objects or locking doors. His mood took a turn for a worse at the tensed breakfast table where he couldn't even pour milk into his cereal.

"Damn it!" he hissed, swiping his hand at the bowl. It shattered to the ground with a harsh crack.

"Potter," Draco rebuked.

"Fuck off," Harry swore, striding to the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

Draco gritted his teeth, stopping himself from storming after Harry and trying to shake him to his senses. He knew how useless that would be.

Harry had never felt this helpless before. His magic was being suppressed and his control over his life was non-existent now. He needed help with every menial task. He hated it to the point of lashing out at Draco.

Draco, being Draco, would not stand for petty bullying.

"How much longer?" he asked Hermione.

She shook her head. "I don't know… They have never seen such a case before and they are still trying to figure out where to start," she answered.

"And?"

She hesitated with the next part. "Well, since it's… related to old magic, they want to try testing Harry's magic," she said.

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "He's suffering, Granger! He's… he can't do this. You have to tell them to stop. If you don't, I'll _make_ them stop, understand?" he said without room for argument.

When he arrived home, he found Harry in the kitchen with stir-fry on the stove and some semblance of normalcy at the dining table. "Hey," he murmured, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist and kissing him lovingly.

"Hmm," Harry sighed in exhaustion. They stood in silent embrace for a long while. Draco couldn't figure out what to do and Harry was just tired of everything. "How was work?"

"Fine."

"Okay," Harry whispered, pulling away from Draco and turning back to the stove mechanically.

Draco turned him back around and bunched him close with a passionate kiss.

Harry slid out of his grasp. "I can't," he mumbled.

Draco blinked at him in confusion. "What?" he asked.

Harry's jaw clenched with barely hidden irritation. "I can't, Draco," he said again, going back to stirring dinner that was sizzling in the saucepan.

Draco stifled his frustrated sigh and leaned against the counter instead, trying to observe Harry's downturned face. They let the silence linger for a few moments longer before Draco figured it was time to change the conversation. "What did you do today?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "Read a few case notes. Cooking. That's about it," he murmured, turning off the heat. "You?"

Draco fidgeted with the wand that he held lightly in his hands. "I… saw Hermione today. I told her that… your treatment should be stopped," he murmured, averting his eyes as he awaited the explosion.

Harry stilled, comprehending the words slowly. "You what?" he asked.

"It's hurting you, Harry. Do you see that?" Draco reasoned, reaching out to brush down Harry's hair. "And… it's hurting me."

Harry closed his eyes in response. "What did you do?" he asked in a measured tone.

"No more potions. No more tests," Draco said.

Harry slapped Draco's hand away violently before turning fiery emerald eyes at the man. "This is _my_ life!" he exclaimed.

Draco shook his head stubbornly. "_Our_ life!" he corrected.

"NO," Harry shouted, pushing Draco back with a forceful shove. "_MY _LIFE!"

"Stop." Draco grabbed Harry's shoulders and pulled him close, keeping him partially immobilized. Harry's hands were now fists and he was striking Draco with all his strength. "Stop, Potter."

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT! YOU HAVE NO FUCKING RIGHT!"

"Stop," Draco whispered, hugging Harry tight. "Stop now…"

"NO, NO, NO, NO!" Harry was shaking uncontrollably by then, pent-up emotions bursting out of him with a heady rush. He wanted to hurt Draco any way possible and with as much aggression as he could muster. "Help me…"

Draco groaned in defeat when he heard the broken whimper. He felt Harry sagging and they slid down to the floor together. Ragged breathing was the only sound between them. Draco stroked Harry's back while pushing away his desperation and terror. He had never seen Harry lose control like that… He had never known this Harry. "Be happy," he said firmly, as though mere words would change Harry.

"I can't," Harry answered without emotion. "I feel like killing myself."

Draco inhaled sharply and held onto Harry with all his might. "Don't ever say that," he muttered in fury. "Never, understand?"

"It's what I feel," Harry said. "I feel like killing myself."

"Stop," Draco hissed, jerking Harry away from him and shooting daggers with passion. "Just stop."

"No." Harry jerked his chin up defiantly. "It's what I feel. If I can't die with you, then I'll just die now."

Draco snarled in frustration, wanting to shake reason into Harry.

But before either could speak another word, a sharp alarm rang from the study, causing them to stagger up to their feet as a trained response. Draco was faster, being healthier than Harry and more coherent. He ran towards the mobile sneakoscopes. "Forks," he called out from the office. "I have to go." He rushed back to Harry who was standing the kitchen while still stuck in a daze. "I have to go, okay, Harry?" Draco said again, pressing a fleeting kiss to unresponsive lips. "Don't do anything…"

Harry blinked at his boyfriend, as though just noticing him there. "Draco?" he asked, reaching up to touch the pale chin. "You're going?"

"I'll be back," Draco breathed, hugging Harry close. "I love you."

"Love you," Harry echoed, watching Draco stride towards the foyer. He heard a soft pop and knew that the house was empty once again.

Draco struck grass and was knocked down instantly. Chaos reigned around him. The sky was soiled with ominous clouds and freezing breeze caused his breath to fog.

"DEMENTORS!" Luna shouted over the unusual screeching that seemed to echo from all sides. The Aurors were on the front lawn. The Cullens were right behind them, refusing to acknowledge the orders Hermione was shouting out.

It wasn't long before the team of Dementors appeared from atop the trees, floating passively.

"SHIELDS," Hermione bellowed. A Patronus shield bloomed around them, keeping them safe from the Dementors.

But they hadn't accounted for what came next.

Thestrals flocked behind the Dementor army, twenty strong with striking black eyes. "What?" Draco breathed as his stomach twisted. The screeching were the cries of the animals, invisible to the vampires but more than menacing to the wizards and witches. The shield kept away the Dementors but the thestrals gnashed their brown teeth as though they had gone mad with mania.

"BERNIE, MORE SHIELDS!" Draco shouted. Bernie cast another layer of protection, this one a solid dome under the blue Patronus.

The screeching grew louder as the thestrals paused for a second. The vampires were searching the skies while communicating with each other in near silence. Edward could read fleeting thoughts and knew that there was something above them that they couldn't see. But he didn't know what it was and it seemed their protectors knew nothing about them as well.

With a loud roar, the pack of winged horses moved as one and struck the shield. Bernie staggered back, not expecting the backlash.

"Damn it," Hermione swore. "GET RID OF THE DEMENTORS!"

Draco and Luna sent their Patronus flying through the air. The animals spiraled towards the dark creatures, dispersing them for a few moments. But it was hardly strong enough to dispel the whole fleet. The air was crackling with magic, dark against light.

Hermione was throwing curse after hex at the thestrals, trying to pick them off one by one with exploding charms. Bernie's exhaustion was starting to overtake him. He looked ready to fall to his knees from pain and disbelief.

The frustrated thestrals now took to the house, flying into the windows without regard. Shattered shards flew at the huddled group, striking the shields before crumbling into dust.

All it took was one last thrust for Bernie's shield to break. "DOWN!" Luna screamed. The vampires crouched in a frantic demonstration of defense, hands out and teeth bared.

Draco's concentration faltered when he felt a pull behind him. "Leah," he whispered.

The wolves charged up behind them and leapt into the air just as the thestrals closed in on the group. The shapeshifters were moving blindly but their honed instincts told them where the prey was. However, they weren't expecting to meet bones and sharp claws. Emmett struck out with his muscled arms next, causing the vampires to lurch forward and charge at the invisible monsters.

"MALFOY!" Hermione screamed, trying to snap Draco out of it.

But Draco could think of nothing else but Leah who was tangled in a mess of bones and claws. Without a moment lost, he sprinted towards her.

With one less Patronus, the Dementors were rushing in now, causing everyone's energy to falter and the first twinges of fear to set in. Bernie was winded and Hermione was stuck in battle with the winged thestrals. Luna was on her own, unable to hold on for much longer. The vampires and shapeshifters were ripping apart the black skeletons with their teeth, one bone at a time. Loud cracks were heard as both parties were rammed by the strength of hurtling stone. Rosalie was struck to the ground and held there by a particularly violent horse. She was being snapped at by razor sharp jaws. Cracks appeared against her flawless skin and she screamed in desperation. Emmett was upon the creature an instant later, throwing it off of her. The thestral struck nearby trees, crushing them in its wake. It merely screeched and returned to join the pack, more rabid than ever.

Draco was but three feet away when Leah was shoved against a heap of growing bones. The grey wolf whined in shock and agony as she felt pain run up her spine, as though she had been stabbed. She had fallen atop a jagged rib, impaling her lung in the process. As suddenly as she was wracked with pain, she was filled with dread and helplessness. The Dementor was so close, its hood down as it fed frantically.

With a fierce snarl, Edward knocked into the floating creature, shifting its attention. Draco threw himself over Leah, hugging her close just as a thestral snapped its teeth. Knives dug into Draco's back, causing him to let out a soft sob.

"_Sepono pulvis…_"

The thestrals screamed in rage, freezing in midair. Then they emitted an unearthly hum that shook the ground, growing more intense and furious. And in unison, they disintegrated into nothing, crumbling to the ground as fine black powder.

"_Expecto patronum_," Harry chanted, using the last vestiges of his energy to cast his stag.

The Patronus could barely travel, lethargic and wispy as it struggled to fly. But two more joined him, twirling towards the sky – Hermione and Luna. The lingering Dementors attempted to stay put, dodging the blue magic. But the ground below seemed to hold no more interest to them. After a minute of surveillance, the creatures floated away.

There was silence.

Then came pained whimpers and hurried murmurs as the group started to realize the extent of the damage.

Harry fell to his knees beside Draco and Leah, his hands shaking as he tried to staunch their bleeding. He pulled the shard out of Leah's back, nearly getting his hand bitten off as she lashed out. Draco was unconscious and his back was bloodied, soaking over the grey wolf's fur.

"I… have to go," Jasper murmured before disappearing. Rosalie and Emmett followed, their urges to drink having multiplied dangerously. The rest of the Cullens stayed, calming the broken shapeshifters as they attempted to set their bones straight.

"W-wake up," Harry gasped between sobs, patting Draco's cheek. "You have to wake up, Draco…"

Leah whined in unison, turning onto her belly while enduring an ample amount of torment. She laid her snout against Draco's bloodstained cheek, licking him clean. Harry tried to heal the shredded back, but all he managed to do was cause the skin to turn a dreadful shade of purple, as though the bleeding was intensifying.

"Stop, stop," Hermione breathed, pushing Harry's wand away. "I'll do it. You're making it worse." She brushed the sweat off of her brow before working on Draco with purpose in her gestures.

Harry stood up as white noise filled his head. He couldn't hear anything but his own heart and breathing. He looked down at his bloodied hands. He was making it worse… He dry-heaved without warning and pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, which only caused him to gag again. He stumbled away from the bloodbath, tripping into the fringe of the forest before spewing his guts. He fell on all fours as he threw-up.

With a shaky moan, he rolled onto the side. He felt blood running down his shirt. He pressed his hand against his chest, feeling the gash. He had splinched. Of all the things he could have done wrong, he had splinched. He felt his body shudder.

A blink later, the white noise was gone. Harry stared at the green foliage as clarity started to move into him. So… was he going to die after all? He touched his chest again, feeling the numb wound that wouldn't stop bleeding. He moved his hand down to his leg, pressing against the gauge behind his thigh. Maybe he would die. So soon? He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. He couldn't seem to inhale strong enough. He shuddered again, this time as cold set in from shock.

He should have acted sooner. He should have saved everyone before they got hurt. He should have…

"Stop."

Harry couldn't help his delirious laugh. Everyone wanted him to stop. "Okay," he whispered, letting his body stop. He would do as he was told. It was the least he could do.

"Don't sleep."

Harry merely shook his head. That was all he wanted to do. He hadn't had proper sleep in so long. Maybe just for a few minutes…

"Harry, please."

Just a few minutes…

He could feel himself floating, like in his dreams. He felt weightless, as though he were transcending into space. He allowed himself a final and longing inhale.

"He's hurt," Edward rushed, placing Harry's limp body beside Hermione. "He's dying."

"_What_?" she exclaimed.

"He's not breathing!" Edward said pleadingly. "He's… he's stopped! Help him!"

Hermione ripped Harry's shirt, revealing the damage. "Merlin," she breathed. "L-Luna. Luna, I… now… come here now. H-Harry's… HARRY'S HURT! LUNA!"


	10. Chapter 10

Draco awoke feeling queasy and out of sorts. He could barely open his eyes, struck by immediate dizziness and an agonizing headache characteristic of extremely strong pain relieving potions.

"Hey," Leah whispered.

Draco murmured incoherently, turning his head towards her. Only then did the surroundings register. He was in the all too familiar setting of St. Mungo's. And Leah was sitting right next to him. "Huh?" he asked, utterly confused.

"How are you?" she asked gently, flicking Draco's hair off of his forehead. "You're pretty doped up."

"Where?" Draco croaked, closing his eyes when he realized that if he kept seeing swimming visions, he wouldn't be able to keep his stomach settled.

"Yeah… Pretty freaky, huh?" Leah laughed her nervousness away. "We're in London."

"Oh," Draco moaned.

"It's… amazing, Draco."

Draco looked at Leah again. "Hmm?" he asked with a sleepy smile. "Yeah?"

"You can do so much with magic," Leah murmured. "I… I thought you were going to die."

Draco's smile faded away when he noticed Leah's lips pursing together and her eyes turning glassy. "Don't cry," he said.

"I don't cry," Leah snapped, glaring at Draco. "It's not like you have anything to gloat about. You should be thanking your doctors. Idiot."

Draco laughed silently. He had been so scared for Leah… "Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out to her with a limp hand.

"I can heal myself," Leah reminded him, taking his hand in hers. "Like I've been saying, I'm stronger than you."

"You are…"

Leah pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Thank you, Draco," she breathed into his ear.

"Anything for you," Draco hummed, a foolish grin on his face that, had he been sane, he would have been appalled to see on his face. "Leah…"

"Yes?"

"Is everyone alright?"

"No."

Draco's grin turned into a puzzled expression. "Oh? Who?"

"Harry."

Draco paled instantly, his gaze intensifying as clarity set in upon hearing the name from Leah's lips. "Harry?" he asked, his words no longer dreamy. "Harry wasn't there."

"He stopped everything," Leah explained. "He killed those… things."

"No," Draco said with strained patience, sitting up despite the searing pain in his back. "Harry's home. He… he's not well."

"It's okay, Draco," Leah said, trying to calm Draco and make him lie down again. "It's not your fault."

"What?" Draco asked sharply. "What's not my fault? Where's Harry? Tell me."

Leah waved her hand at the door with a helpless shrug. "They won't tell us anything. They're still trying to fix him," she said. "I'm sorry."

"Damn it, what did he do?" Draco all but shouted.

"I don't know! I don't know, okay?"

Draco flung the sheets off and swung his legs out of bed. But the moment he stood, the pain crippled him. He would have crumpled to the ground had it not been for Leah's quick and gentle catch. "Let me go," he growled, trying to push her away.

"No," Leah sighed, hugging Draco close. "I need you to get better."

"Let me go!"

"Draco…"

"I need to see him," Draco pleaded. "That's all I want."

"He's going to be fine," Leah promised, wondering how reliable her words were. "He'll be fine, just like you. And now you need sleep, just like him. For me, Draco?"

"Please," Draco said hoarsely.

"No." Leah wouldn't budge, laying Draco down on the bed. "How about you close your eyes, hmm?"

Draco turned away from Leah and dragged his hands to his pattering heart, trying to calm it while stopping his morbid thoughts. What had Harry done?

* * *

Edward hadn't stopped pacing in over five hour, practically mowing a path along the end of Harry's bed. He kept mum, but his mind was working furiously. He hadn't seen Harry since months ago with that teary confession. And now here he was, willing himself to _die_? Edward could catch snippets of thoughts from the sedated man, each one aggravating him more than the last.

"Stop, Harry," he murmured without breaking his stride. But Harry didn't hear, deep in his exhaustion and buried under nightmares from the pain and medication. When Edward had found him in the forest gasping for air, he had imagined the worst. The thoughts Harry had were frightening, not just because of the sadness, but also because of the sure intent to give up on breathing.

Edward exhaled sharply out of frustration and stormed over to Harry's bedside, the first time he had walked away from the beaten path. "I said stop," he hissed.

Harry's jaw clicked as he clenched his teeth together.

"You have no right," Edward spat out. "Do you understand? No one has the right to wish this."

"My life," Harry whispered. "I choose."

"You owe your life to your friends, don't you?" Edward prodded. He knew this was true, and he knew that Harry knew this was true.

Harry flinched away from Edward, turning his head the other way. "Leave," he muttered.

"No."

"Don't pretend like you know me."

"I _do_ know you."

Harry whipped his steely gaze at Edward again. "I said leave," he said with fierce authority.

"Harry?"

Edward and Harry started before glancing by the door. Draco was leaning against the doorjamb with a grimace against his lips and worry in his eyes. "Shit," Harry swore under his breath, struggling to sit up despite the agony he was in.

"Lie down," Edward growled, shoving Harry onto his back again and glaring him into submission. "And you shouldn't be out of bed either," he added, talking to Draco.

"I'm fine," Draco murmured, hobbling over to Harry with difficulty. Harry looked awful, lines on his face indicating his pain and his furrowed brow pulled together to concentrate on keeping that pain away. "What did you do, Harry?"

"I'm fine," Harry mumbled guiltily. "It's nothing."

"What did you do?"

Harry couldn't look at Draco. "Splinched," he said almost inaudibly, staring up at the ceiling.

Draco kept his sudden burst of anger to himself, knowing that Harry didn't need another lecture. "You aren't stable enough to apparate," he said instead, making sure his voice was steady and calm.

"I know," Harry murmured.

Draco flicked his eyes at Edward, silently telling him to give them some privacy. Edward left without a word. Once the door closed, Draco pulled his legs onto the bed and lay next to Harry. Their fingers tangled together and Draco tucked his head under Harry's chin. It wasn't long before their breaths synchronized. "Why did you do this?" Draco asked.

Harry pressed his lips against Draco's head, letting his eyes all shut. "I'd have been there sooner if I could," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Why, Harry?" Draco repeated. "You could have killed yourself."

Harry didn't have an answer to that.

"I hate you so much."

Harry felt the corners of his mouth twitch up and he moved his arm to enfold Draco in a hug.

"Do you have any idea how much I hate you?" Draco whispered thickly, heat pricking the back of his throat and his eyes. "If you wanted to get rid of me so bad, you should kill me, not yourself, got it?"

"And have you hold a grudge against me? No way," Harry said.

"You scare me…"

Harry's raked his hand through Draco's hair, making his head fall back. Lips crushed into each other a moment later. The kiss was harsh and frantic, the kind they hadn't shared for a long while. Draco knew what this meant and he wasn't about to go down without a fight. But Harry was stubborn as ever… Draco was breathless by the end of it, staring up at Harry openly and not knowing what to say. Harry slid his thumb over Draco's cheek, his resolve hardening. "Thank you, Draco," he murmured. "I appreciate you more than you know."

"Harry…"

"Everything's a mess with me."

"I don't care," Draco said. "I can take care of both of us."

"Then what? Hmm?" Harry asked, nuzzling Draco. "You'll be miserable, I'm already miserable and everything will suck."

"I love you."

"Mhm," Harry nodded patiently.

"Stop being like this."

* * *

"Draco asked me to stop your treatments," Hermione said, watching Harry's expression closely to see if she could decipher his true feelings. "What do you think?"

"What would it mean if I stopped?"

"In short, we won't be able to fix you."

"No more potions?"

Hermione pursed her lips disconcertedly. "Right," she muttered.

"Then I'm going to stop."

Hermione was fed up with this. First it was Draco and now it's Harry. It was as though they didn't really care. "I won't let you," she countered. "This is pertaining to your health and I won't let you-"

"I was healthy until I started treatment," Harry deadpanned. "I was healthier than ever before this. The treatment nearly killed me, understand?"

"Because they are still fine tuning! You can't give up, Harry."

"I'm not giving up," Harry explained. "I'm coming to terms with this and you will let me."

"There's nothing to come to terms with!" Hermione exclaimed. "This can't happen! You have to die someday!"

"And I will," Harry said distantly. "Just… not yet, okay?"

Hermione stormed off before she could throw another harsh word at Harry.

* * *

"Hey," Leah murmured, sidling beside Draco on the cafeteria bench in a secluded corner of the dining hall. Draco had been sitting there for hours, toying with his soggy salad and staring at the wood grains while he let his thoughts drift. He jerked out of his reverie when he was joined by the shapeshifter. "Something wrong?"

"Hmm," Draco sighed, blinking down at his dinner and pulling a face. He pushed it away and said, "Harry. Obviously."

"He's still hurt?"

"Yes."

"But he'll be okay."

Draco glanced up at Leah, quiet for the moment. But after letting her words echo in his head for a few seconds, he answered with, "Yes."

"So nothing is wrong, Draco," Leah concluded.

"It's not that simple," Draco muttered, wishing it was.

"Make it that simple. He's going to be okay, so nothing is wrong."

"How's Seth?" Draco asked, changing the subject quickly. "And Jacob?"

"Shaken, but fine," Leah said. "Those things… they'll come again, won't they?"

"Yeah," Draco nodded. "It's okay. I'll be back on duty in two days."

"Stop being like that," Leah huffed, propping her elbows on the table and dropping his chin against her palms with a glum pout.

"Like what?" Draco asked, smiling in confusion.

"All selfless and stuff."

Draco laughed at this, shaking his head. "Me? Selfless? This is my _job_, Leah. Nothing selfless about it. It pays for food," he said.

"Yeah, yeah," Leah said, rolling her eyes.

"In fact, I'm the most selfish guy ever," Draco said with an affected sniff, smirking at her.

"Oh, sure," Leah drawled. "You decided to jump in front of a fuckin' monster because you're so damned selfish, huh? Sure does make a lot of sense, Malfoy."

"That's different," Draco grumbled, not at all pleased that he was being argued with.

"Of _course_ it is."

"Shut up." He sulked despondently. He didn't _want_ to turn into a bloody Gryffindor, but being around Harry was bound to cause some of those stupid characteristics to rub off on him.

"Hey."

He barely turned his head to look at her when he was jerked forward. Heat slid across his lips, crackling and fleeting. His heart raced as he breathed in Leah's scent, eyes falling shut as a response. Her stomach twisted up into her chest, making her breathless.

"Be selfish."

She slid her hand over his cheek, forcing his lips apart. Her fingers twisted his shirt holding him captive. This was unbearably real for both of them. Draco could taste Leah against his lips, the hint of tongue playing between them. It was terrifying. They broke apart as quickly as they had come together.

"I-I have to go," Draco breathed, struggling out of the bench and staggering away with his hand to his lips.

"Shit," Leah mouthed, hiding her face against her arms as she dropped her forehead against the table.

Edward gritted his teeth while storming out of the cafeteria, fists clenched and resolute in his actions.

Harry glanced up from the paperwork strewn across the bed, arching a brow at Edward. "Ever heard of knocking?" he asked sarcastically.

"You shouldn't be working," Edward muttered, silencing Harry with his no-nonsense glower and collecting the parchment into an untidy heap. "This will still be here when you get better." He dumped it all on the table that was conveniently situated at the other end of the room. Just in time too, because he could hear Draco walking down the hallway at a slow pace, as though reluctant and thoughtful. Edward marched over to Harry with his arms crossed against his chest. "You trust Draco, don't you?" he asked with a scowl.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, shifting uncomfortably and glancing at the door while wildly hoping someone would walk in.

"Well, you shouldn't," Edward snapped.

"Whoa," Harry said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Just-um… what are you talking about?"

"He's not to be trusted. He is selfish and arrogant and-" Edward stopped short when the doorknob turned.

Harry was knocked against the pillows as Edward pushed a hard kiss against his lips. He barely had time to voice his shock. But Edward didn't notice Harry. He had ears for only Draco who had stumbled to a halt at the doorway. And although he couldn't hear any of that man's thoughts, he could well imagine it and he imagined them with none too small a dose of malice and triumph. Two could play at this games. If Malfoy was planning on hurting Harry, then Edward wasn't going to sit back and watch as if-

Arms wound around his neck, desperate and trembling. Edward's emotions were cut short and he pulled away in fright. Harry came with him, holding on with all his might as their lips melded. Edward could feel Harry's heat pulsing into his lips and he could barely suppress his hungered snarl.

Harry was driven against the headboard with the force with which Edward pushed him back. The vampire had put the most distance he could between Harry and himself, pressing his back against the opposite wall and staring at him with apparent horror in his eyes. He hadn't expected this loss of control. And he hadn't expected… Harry. He saw the rush of emotions play against Harry's face, from amazement to disbelief to understanding to confusion to panic and finally settling on distress.

"You…"

Harry and Edward looked up at the door. With all blood drained from his face, Draco appeared helpless as he flicked his eyes between the two.

That set Harry in motion. He struggled out of bed, frantically saying, "It's not like th-"

"Fuck you," Draco swore, his fist striking the doorjamb before disappearing out of the room.

"D-Draco!" Harry exclaimed, trying to walk despite the pain.

Edward rushed to Harry before he could fall, catching him.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Harry shouted, his skin burning up under Edward's hands. He had to let go from the _pain_ he was feeling. Harry fell to his knees as he tried to control himself. "GET OUT!"

Edward rushed out of the room, slamming the door shut before stopping to get his thoughts together. What was he thinking? He blurred from sight as he sprinted after Draco's scent. He needed to explain.

Harry tore at his shirt, feeling as though he were about to burst into flames. He bit down on his tongue to keep his whimpers of agony to himself. At the mere touch of his hands, his shirt was charred and the bandages wrapped around his chest started to turn brown. He ripped the fibers off of him, revealing his unhealed scars that had barely been sewn together.

And, in front of his eyes, his skin seemed to knit itself, skin forming over the splinched flesh. "No, no, no," he murmured breathlessly, sliding his palms over his wounds. "Ah," he gasped as pain shot up his body, jolting him. He curled up onto the ground, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried not to scream.

"Draco!" Edward called out, grabbing the man's shirt and pulling him back. "Please, he's-let me explain!"

Draco whipped around with his wand digging into Edward's shirt. "If you don't get away from me _right now_, I will _kill_ you," he hissed.

Edward let go instantly and stepped back. "I started it," he said quickly. "Harry didn't do anything."

"Oh, he didn't?" Draco asked near hysterics. "You-If you-Don't you dare!"

They were interrupted by a rush of Mediwizard and nurses running past them. They spun around in shock, watching the team throw open the door to Harry's room. "Oh God," Draco breathed, shoving Edward out of the way as he ran towards them. He pushed through the busy medical personnel who were talking over each other and summoning potions frenetically. "Let me through," he growled, shaking off the hands that were pulling him out of the room. His strength wasn't to be underestimated. In less than ten seconds, he was near the middle of the crowd, seeing the Mediwizards crouch on the floor.

Harry couldn't hold in his frightened scream any longer. He wasn't even aware of his reality. He had no knowledge of what was happening to him and now he was being tugged by the arms and legs. He arched his back as he tried to get away.

"Let go of him!" Draco rushed, trying to pull the doctors off of Harry. "You're hurting him! Let him go!"

"Please step outside, Mr. Malfoy."

"NO!" Draco snapped loudly, finally succeeding in dragging on of the Mediwizards away from Harry. "Stop hurting him!"

"We're giving him a sedative," one of the Healers tried to explain while trying to pick Draco up off the floor. "It will take away the pain."

Harry twisted his head away from the vial that was being forced on him. No more potions. Potions made him sick in so many ways. He let out a tortured scream again as he was restrained against the heat that was causing his body to shudder uncontrollably.

"Stop," Edward said, easily pushing the doctors' hands back with his stony touch and slapping the vial away. "He's not hurt."

"ALL NON-MEDICAL PERSONS MUST LEAVE THE ROOM!"

"Just stop," Edward murmured, pulling Harry up into his arms with ease despite fierce struggles on Harry's part. "He's scared. He's not hurt…"

Harry curled into Edward's inviting cold. "B-b-burning up," he shivered, clinging to the vampire. "P-p-pl-please."

"It's okay," Edward whispered. "You're okay. Calm down?"

"C-c-can't," Harry stammered, his teeth chattering.

Draco grazed his fingers against Harry's back hesitantly. "Harry?"

Harry pushed away from Edward without thought, turning to Draco and nearly falling limp into his arms. Draco pulled Harry close, feeling the soft sigh from the exhausted man. Harry fell asleep under Draco's gentle touch. Draco pressed a shaky kiss against Harry's sweat-slicked forehead.

"He's healed," Edward murmured.

Draco's eyes widened in shock as he looked down and saw Harry's chest without bruises or cuts. "Wh-he-h-how?" he stammered.

Harry was magically lifted off of Draco's arms. "Out. Now," the irritated Healer snapped, pointing her finger at the door and giving the two men no room for argument. "Or I'll call security."

A moment later, the door slammed shut in Draco and Edward's faces.


End file.
